Two nations looking to return to form will do battle today in an international friendly between Portugal and Greece. The World Cup tune-up scheduled for 2:30 p.m. ET will be held at the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon and can be live streamed here free. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN Deportes.
When you boast the best player in all of football, expect nothing else to be the narrative. That's been the case for Portuguese head coach Paulo Bento as he prepares the national team for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. Not only will Cristiano Ronaldo miss today's warm-up friendly with Greece, but no timetable has been set for his return.
"He will be with us, but he will not compete [in today's friendly]. What I don't want to do is put any sort of pressure on a player that causes them to compete when they are not in a the right state to do so," Bento said (via the Mirror). "We're not setting any deadlines," he added.
"The player's well-being comes first. I want him to be in the best possible form without running any risks."
Will Portugal be able to cope without its star player? Tell us @SportsWN
Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: With Cristiano Ronaldo still dealing with injury, Portugal must find a suitable replacement for the interim. Enter Rafa Silva. The 21-year-old made 23 appearances for Braga in the Portuguese first division, scoring three goals in 1,591 minutes.
Portugal's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Patricio; Coentrao, Alves, Neto, Pereira; Meireles, Carvalho, Moutinho; Silva, Almeida, Nani
Greece's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Karnezis; Holebas, Sokratis, Manolas, Torosidis; Christodoulopoulos, Karagounis, Tziolis; Samaras, Mitroglou, Salpingidis
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