Croatia v Portugal preview: Sporting wonderkid Quenda set to make history | OneFootball

The latest gem to roll off the conveyor belt of Sporting’s renowned Alcochete Academy, 17-year-old wing-back Geovany Quenda, is set to become the youngest ever player to represent Portugal at senior level against Croatia in Split tomorrow.

Striker Fábio Silva, who like Quenda was promoted from the U21 squad on Friday night, is also eyeing his debut as Portugal play their final Nations League group match with top spot guaranteed.

The time for experimentation has arrived. The scrapping of international friendly matches, replaced by the UEFA Nations League, in conjunction with Roberto Martínez’s naturally conservative mindset has made it tough for anyone other than Portugal’s core players under the Spanish coach to get a look-in.

However, with the Seleção winning Group A1 with a game to spare, Martínez has the perfect scenario to give his fringe squad players an opportunity.

One such player is likely to be Geovany Quenda, who was called up for the September matches but did not get on the pitch. If the teenager plays against Croatia he will be making his Portugal debut at the ripe old age of 17 years and 202 days, and will usurp Paulo Futre as the youngest ever footballer to play for Portugal, beating a record that dates back to 1984 by three days.

There will be room for other new faces given the non-availability Portugal’s senior trio of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva (both released from the squad) and Bruno Fernandes (suspended). Those three players have a combined 391 caps between them, and the Seleção will also be without the injured Rúben Dias and João Palhinha. In normal circumstances all five players would be starters.

Centre-forward alternative

Fábio Silva has a chance to prove he can be a viable alternative at centre-forward, a position where Portugal have a shortage of options.

Still only 22 years old, Silva is currently playing for his sixth club, in a sixth different league, Las Palmas in La Liga. The Porto product has struggled to settle anywhere since his high-profile big-money transfer to Wolverhampton Wanderers, a move he himself has admitted came too early in his career.

Centre-back pair Tomás Araújo and Tiago Djaló could also be handed their debuts, and Nuno Tavares will likely get more minutes after his first taste of playing for the Seleção in the dying embers of the 5-1 win against Poland on Friday.

It is therefore something of a thankless task predicting the Portugal lineup, but Martínez may select something like this.

Possible Portugal lineup v Croatia:

Rui Silva, João Cancelo, Renato Veiga, Tomás Araújo, Nuno Tavares, Otávio, João Neves, Vitinha, João Félix, Francisco Conceição, Fábio Silva

Croatia chase points

Portugal may have nothing but pride to play for, but Croatia still require one point to make sure they finish runners-up in the group and qualify for the quarter-finals. A defeat could open the door for Scotland to snatch second place in the section.

The hosts will be keen to bounce back from defeat against the Scots on Friday and are always a tough proposition in front of their own supporters, losing just one of nine games played on home soil over the last two years.

Luka Modric continues to be the heartbeat of the team at 39 years of age, the captain playing the full 90 minutes in Glasgow.

Head-to-head record

Portugal have an overwhelmingly favourable record against Croatia, winning 7, drawing 1 and losing 1 of the 9 encounters the two nations have played against each other.

The Portuguese triumphs include the memorable last-16 victory at Euro 2016 when Ricardo Quaresma’s extra-time winner sent the Seleção through to the quarter-finals of a tournament they would go on to win.

Croatia may have beaten Portugal only once, but it was in a recent encounter, earlier this year, as Zlatko Dalic’s side won 2-1 at the Jamor National Stadium in a Euro 2024 preparation match. In the most recent matchup Portugal won 2-1 at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon in the first Nations League match in September.