The FPF announced the list of 17 players called up by Jorge Braz for the two upcoming games that Portugal will play against Slovenia in Odivelas. Several new features are noted in the call-up.
Firstly, there’s an absolute debut. Tiago Sousa, who has been in good form in Braga, receives his first call-up to the main team by the national coach after representing Portugal at the youth level.
Additionally, there are several notable returns. Wild, Miguel Ângelo, and Fábio Cecílio, who have been absent for some time, are back in the squad, along with more regular faces such as Tiago Brito and Hugo Neves.
On the other hand, some players are absent compared to the games against Japan. João Matos, Pany, Pauleta, Bruno Coelho, and Carlos Monteiro are among those not included.
It’s important to remember that these two games, scheduled for April 11th and 13th against Slovenia in Odivelas, serve as preparation for the final stage of the World Cup, set to take place in Uzbekistan in September and October 2024.
The national team’s concentration is set for Monday at Cidade do Futebol. This will be followed by five training sessions until Wednesday. Thursday is game day, with further training sessions on Friday, before the training camp concludes on Saturday with the second game.
Here is the list of players called up:
Goalkeepers: Edu (El Pozo Murcia) and André Correia (Leões Porto Salvo);
Fixo: André Coelho (FC Barcelona), Tomás Paçó (Sporting), and Tiago Sousa (SC Braga);
Fixo/Wing: Afonso Jesus (Benfica);
Universal: Erick Mendonça (FC Barcelona);
Wings: Diogo Santos (Sporting), Lúcio Rocha (Benfica), Silvestre Ferreira (Benfica), Tiago Brito (SC Braga), Miguel Ângelo (Fortitudo Pomezia), and Bruno Pinto (Leões Porto Salvo);
Wing/Pivot: Fábio Cecílio (SC Braga) and Edmilson Kutchy (Benfica);
Pivot: Zicky (Sporting) and Hugo Neves (Sporting).
