The final few places at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar are about to be decided and we have an unexpected playoff taking place in Porto, as Portugal host North Macedonia. Only one of these teams can progress from to the World Cup finals, so it is all or nothing for the two teams. Cristiano Ronaldo and co. will be determined to make it to Qatar, while Macedonia are fresh from eliminating Euro 2020 winners Italy. On this live blog, we’ll be covering all the action from what should be a fascinating contest.
World Cup Playoffs: Portugal vs North Macedonia LIVE SCORE: 0-0
This is the very beginning of our live blog for the 2022 World Cup playoff between Portugal and North Macedonia. All of the updates will follow on below, with the ones nearest the top the most recent.
Portugal vs North Macedonia – Official line-ups
No Joao Felix in the Portugal starting XI, as Cristiano Ronaldo is supported by Liverpool’s Diogo Jota and Manchester City man Bernardo Silva.
Portugal: Diogo Costa – Cancelo, Danilo, Pepe, Nuno Mendes – Bruno Fernandes, Joao Moutinho, Otávio – Cristiano Ronaldo (c), Diogo Jota, Bernardo Silva
North Macedonia: Dimitrievski – Ristovski (c), Musliu, Velkovski, Alioski – Ademi, Kostadinov – Elmas, Bardhi, Trajkovski – M. Ristovski
Wins over Turkey and Italy
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal are into the World Cup playoff after overcoming Turkey in the previous round. A 3-1 win courtesy of goals from Otavio, Diogo Jota and Matheus Nunes was enough to see Fernando Santos’ side through. North Macedonia produced a huge upset when a 92nd minute goal against Euro 2020 winners put then through.
Portugal vs North Macedonia predicted line-ups
Portugal’s predicted line-up (4-3-3): Diogo Costa; Joao Cancelo, Danilo Pereira, Jose Fonte, Raphael Guerreiro; Bernardo Silva, Joao Moutinho, Bruno Fernandes; Otavio, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota
North Macedonia’s predicted line-up (4-3-3): Stole Dimitrievski; Stefan Ristovski, Darko Velkovski, Visar Musliu, Ezgjan Alioski; Eljif Elmas, Tihomir Kostadinov, Enis Bardhi; Darko Churlinov, Milan Ristovski, Aleksandar Trajkovski.
When does Portugal vs North Macedonia start?
This Sunday’s match between Portugal and North Macedonia kicks off at 19:45 CEST, the local time in Portugal. For those living in the UK, you can tune in at 19:45 BST. For American viewers, the match will begin at 14:45 ET/ 11:45 PT.
Where to watch Portugal vs North Macedonia?
The 2022 World Cup playoff duel between Portugal and North Macedonia will take place on Tuesday, March 29. For those living in the UK you can watch the game on Sky Sports Action, while viewers in the USA can tune in via ESPN+, UniMas, TUDN USA and ESPN2.
Marca
