Fernando Santos insists there is no rift between himself and Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo ahead of the World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco.
Santos dropped Ronaldo for the last 16 match against Switzerland, with his replacement Goncalo Ramos sensationally scoring a hat-trick in a 6-1 win.
"There is no problem with our captain," Santos told his pre-match news conference, a day on from Portugal's national federation releasing a statement to dismiss rumours that Ronaldo was on the verge of leaving the camp.
"We've been friends for years. We spoke before the game and he had no issue with my decision. He’s an example."
Morocco put paid to the prospects of an Iberian derby by beating Spain on penalties after a 0-0 draw. Walid Regragui's side have kept clean sheets in three of their four games in Qatar.
Portugal confirmed lineup vs Morocco
(4-3-2-1, right to left): 22. Diogo Costa (GK) — 2. Diogo Dalot, 3. Pepe, 4. Ruben Dias, 5. Raphael Guerriero — 10. Bernardo Silva, 18. Ruben Neves, 25. Otavio — 8. Bruno Fernandes, 11. Joao Felix — 25. Goncalo Ramos.
- Injured: Nuno Mendes (thigh), Danilo Pereira (broken ribs)
- Suspended: None.
Ronaldo is indeed on the bench once again following Ramos' heroics. Rafael Leao again came on to score against Switzerland, but a virtuoso display from Joao Felix means the AC Milan star is amongst the substitutes once more, left to a bench role.
Danilo Pereira (broken ribs) was not fit enough to start, while his PSG teammate or Nuno Mendes (thigh) is out for the tournament.
Mendes' absence was part of the reason for Raphael Guerreiro and Diogo Dalot starting against Switzerland. Guerreiro's goalscoring turn and an assist for Dalot means Joao Cancelo is again sitting down alongside Ronaldo once more, with Fernando Santos resisting a change there too.
The only alteration made from the win over Switzerland is the return of Ruben Neves to the starting lineup over William Carvalho.
MORE: World Cup 2022 top goal scorer: Updated rankings in the Golden Boot race
Portugal World Cup squad
Here are the 26 names on Portugal's World Cup squad in Qatar:
| Position | No. | Player | Club | Age | Caps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | 1 | Rui Patricio | Roma (ITA) | 34 | 104 |
| GK | 12 | Jose Sa | Wolves (ENG) | 29 | 0 |
| GK | 22 | Diogo Costa | Porto (POR) | 23 | 7 |
| DEF | 3 | Pepe | Porto (POR) | 39 | 128 |
| DEF | 5 | Raphael Guerreiro | Borussia Dortmund (GER) | 28 | 56 |
| DEF | 2 | Diogo Dalot | Manchester United (ENG) | 23 | 6 |
| DEF | 24 | Antonio Silva | Benfica (POR) | 19 | 0 |
| DEF | 4 | Ruben Dias | Manchester City (ENG) | 25 | 39 |
| DEF | 19 | Nuno Mendes | PSG (FRA) | 20 | 16 |
| DEF | 13 | Danilo Pereira | PSG (FRA) | 31 | 63 |
| DEF | 20 | Joao Cancelo | Manchester City (ENG) | 28 | 37 |
| MID | 25 | Otavio | Porto (POR) | 27 | 7 |
| MID | 6 | Joao Palhinha | Fulham (ENG) | 27 | 15 |
| MID | 8 | Bruno Fernandes | Manchester United (ENG) | 28 | 48 |
| MID | 10 | Bernardo Silva | Manchester City (ENG) | 28 | 72 |
| MID | 23 | Matheus Nunes | Wolves (ENG) | 24 | 9 |
| MID | 14 | William Carvalho | Real Betis (ESP) | 30 | 75 |
| MID | 16 | Vitinha | PSG (FRA) | 22 | 4 |
| MID | 17 | Joao Mario | Benfica (POR) | 29 | 52 |
| MID | 18 | Ruben Neves | Wolves (ENG) | 25 | 32 |
| FWD | 7 | Cristiano Ronaldo | Manchester United (ENG) | 37 | 191 |
| FWD | 21 | Ricardo Horta | Braga (POR) | 28 | 5 |
| FWD | 15 | Rafael Leao | AC Milan (ITA) | 23 | 11 |
| FWD | 11 | Joao Felix | Atletico Madrid (SPA) | 22 | 23 |
| FWD | 26 | Goncalo Ramos | Benfica (POR) | 21 | 0 |
| FWD | 9 | Andre Silva | RB Leipzig (GER) | 26 | 51 |
READ: MESSI & RONALDO: DESTINATION MUNDIAL | THE FULL SERIES
