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Portugal and Croatia, both front-runners to secure the top two positions in League A Group 1, begin their respective UEFA Nations League campaigns on Thursday at Estadio da Luz revisiting a matchup that saw 10 goals scored across two encounters when they last clashed in this tournament four years ago.
Following a turbulent yet ultimately unproductive run at Euro 2024, the Seleção were left to recover from another quarter-final setback, echoing their last-eight elimination at Qatar 2022.
This summer, a penalty shootout loss to France ended the Selecao's campaign—a tournament marked by Pepe's final appearance and the overwhelming emotion of Cristiano Ronaldo's tears.
While the 41-year-old defender has opted to retire, Ronaldo remains eager to leave the international stage on a high. Head coach Roberto Martinez has once again included the Al-Nassr star in the squad for this month's Nations League fixtures.
With UEFA's decision to expand the Nations League by adding another knockout round, a top-two finish will now be enough for the Vatreni to advance as well. Poland and Scotland are considered underdogs in the race to progress.
However, after experiencing heartache at the Euros over the summer, Thursday's visitors will be determined to steer clear of any complacency as they embark on their mission to surpass their 2023 performance when they fell to Spain in the final.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch, including TV channel, streaming details and more.
How to watch Portugal vs Croatia online - TV channels & live streams
In the United States (US), the UEFA Nations League match between Portugal and Croatia will be available to watch and stream online live through ViX.
Globally, fans can catch the live action on GOAL.
How to watch anywhere with VPN
If you are abroad, you may need to use a virtual private network (VPN) in order to watch games using your usual streaming service. A VPN, such as NordVPN, allows you to establish a secure connection online when streaming. If you are not sure which VPN to use, check out GOAL's guide to the best VPNs for streaming sport.
Portugal vs Croatia kick-off time
| Date: | Thursday, September 5, 2024 |
| Kick-off time: | 2:45 pm ET/ 11:45 am PT |
| Venue: | Estadio Universitario de Lisboa |
The UEFA Nations League A 2024 opening game between Portugal and Croatia will be played at Estadio Universitario de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal.
It will kick off at 2:45 pm ET/ 11:45 am PT on Thursday, September 5, 2024, in the United States (US).
Team news & squads
Portugal team news
Roberto Martinez has revamped the hosts' roster, bringing in fresh faces like Geovany Quenda, Renato Veiga, and Tiago Santos for the first time, while opting to leave out Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, and Francisco Conceicao.
Seventeen-year-old Quenda, a Sporting winger with only four senior appearances, joins the squad alongside Veiga, who recently signed with Chelsea, and Lille full-back Santos, who is also poised to make his Selecao debut.
Moreover, Pedro Goncalves, Francisco Trincao, and goalkeeper Rui Silva have been recalled, joining a squad captained by Cristiano Ronaldo, who is likely to start as the main striker.
Portugal possible XI: Costa; Dalot, Dias, A. Silva, Mendes; Palhinha, Vitinha; B. Silva, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Costa, Sá, Silva |
| Defenders: | Dias, Dalot, Mendes, Silva, Inácio, Santos |
| Midfielders: | Fernandes, Silva, Vitinha, Neves, Palhinha, Semedo, Veiga, Quenda |
| Forwards: | Ronaldo, Félix, Leão, Jota, Neto, Trincão, Gonçalves |
Croatia team news
As the hosts bid farewell to legendary Pepe, the Vatreni faces its own set of challenges with the absence of star players Domagoj Vida and Marcelo Brozovic, who retired from international play with 99 caps and will not be featuring. Veteran Ivan Perisic remains in the squad despite his departure from Hajduk Split and current lack of a club.
Injuries have sidelined Lovro Majer, Josip Stanisic, and Martin Erlic for both Thursday’s match and Sunday’s game against Poland. Additionally, Lyon’s Duje Caleta-Car is also uncertain after sustaining an injury last weekend.
With their defence stretched thin, coach Zlatko Dalic has hinted that Marin Pongracic, Kristijan Jakic, or even winger Marko Pjaca might need to step in at right-back.
Croatia possible XI: Livakovic; Pongracic, Sutalo, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, L. Sucic, Kovacic; Pasalic, Kramaric, Ivanusec
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers: | Livaković, Labrović, Kotarski |
| Defenders: | Gvardiol, Sosa, Šutalo, Ćaleta-Car, Pongračić |
| Midfielders: | Modrić, Kovačić, Perišić, Pašalić, Majer, Sučić, Baturina, Pjaca, Ivanušec, Pašalić, Jakić, Sučić |
| Forwards: | Kramarić, Petković, Budimir, Matanović |
Head-to-Head Record
| Date | Match | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 08/06/24 | Portugal 1-1 Croatia | International Friendly Games |
| 18/11/20 | Croatia 2-3 Portugal | UEFA Nations League |
| 06/09/20 | Portugal 4-1 Croatia | International Friendly Games |
| 07/09/18 | Portugal 1-1 Croatia | International Friendly Games |
| 26/06/16 | Croatia 0-1 Portugal | EURO |