At the Estádio do Dragão in Porto, the Portuguese team know that a win will guarantee their ninth appearance in the European finals, their eighth in a row, but a draw could also be enough if Luxembourg lose in Iceland on the same day.

Going into the seventh round of Group J, only a 'catastrophe' could keep Roberto Martínez's team out of Euro2024, which will be held in Germany, but the game with the Slovaks raises another challenge for the Spanish coach, namely the possible inclusion of Ronaldo in the starting line-up, after he missed the 9-0 win over Luxembourg in September in the Algarve.

Without their usual captain, and top scorer in the qualifying phase (five goals), Portugal put in the best display of the Martínez era, achieved the biggest-ever win in the history of the national team and showed that Portuguese football is truly experiencing what is probably its best generation ever.

With Gonçalo Ramos, Ronaldo's substitute in that game, scoring a brace, as well as Diogo Jota, Roberto Martínez's task seems to be quite complicated, even more so knowing that the possible decision to 'sit' Ronaldo on the bench might not be well received by the 38-year-old forward.

This happened at the last World Cup in Qatar, when Fernando Santos opted for Gonçalo Ramos to start in the last 16, with the Portuguese adventure ending in the quarter-finals against Morocco (0-1).

On the other hand, the performances of Ramos, Jota and Leão against Luxembourg, and the bond that existed between the national team players in that game, which 'delighted' the fans in the Algarve and throughout the country, should also weigh on Martínez's decision.

The return to the three centre-backs tactic is another doubt, since the Spanish coach opted for a four-man defence, with Rúben Dias and António Silva in the middle, precisely in Bratislava, in a match in which Portugal won 1-0.

Bruno Fernandes scored the only goal in that game and was decisive in a match in which the Slovaks made life very difficult for Portugal and could have achieved another result.

After six rounds, the Portuguese team are still unbeaten and lead Group J with 18 points, five more than second-placed Slovakia. Luxembourg are third with 10, followed by Bosnia and Iceland, both with six, and Liechtenstein, who still have no points.

The top two places in the group give direct access to the final stage of Euro2024.

In addition to six wins in as many matches, Roberto Martínez's team have scored 24 goals and conceded none.

Portugal-Slovakia is scheduled for 19:45 today at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto and will be refereed by Greek Tasos Sidiropoulos.

Author

A passionate Irish journalist with a love for cycling, politics and of course Portugal especially their sausage rolls.

Rory Mc Ginn