No rest for Cristiano Ronaldo! Portugal captain will keep place in starting XI for Georgia clash with Roberto Martinez wary of having to 'reactivate' CR7 for Euros last-16

Having secured their place in the Euro 2024 round of 16 round after back-to-back wins over Czechia and Turkey, there was speculation over Ronaldo's participation in Portugal's final group game against Georgia. However, manager Martinez confirmed that the veteran forward will be included in the starting lineup.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, the former Everton boss said: "I can say that tomorrow the captain will be in the starting eleven. It's important that he plays, he only played one preparatory game, he had a very consistent season, he played every game, and he had a lot of minutes and I think that to continue with the competitive rhythm it's not good to stop and then reactivate in six days. The captain and Diogo Costa are two players who are in the starting eleven."

In the Selecao's 3-0 win over Turkey, there were serious security breaches at the stadium as six separate pitch invaders made it onto the pitch and tried to take selfies with the Al-Nassr star. UEFA have assured that they are working on improving their security and will take strict measures against any fans who try to gain access to the field again going forward.

Addressing the pitch invasion issue, Martinez added: "As for the invasions, he [Ronaldo] is an experienced player, he has been with the national team for over 20 years, he knows the support well and the fans are not just the national team, but football fans.

"I hope there are no invasions because it is dangerous, it is not good for the image of football and it is not a part of the game that we want to see."

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Ronaldo and Co will aim to enter the knockout stage with a 100 per cent win record as they face Georgia on Wednesday night.