Portugal faces Norway in Oslo with squad decisions and Haaland threat looming
Portugal's national team completed its final training session in Oslo on Saturday afternoon, with manager Jorge Jesus making clear he will not approach Sunday's Nations League fixture with caution. The match kicks off at 19:45 Portuguese time at the Ullevaal Stadion.
Bruno Fernandes ruled out with injury
The most significant squad news concerns Bruno Fernandes. The Manchester United captain is the only player absent from the final 23-man list for the match, after failing to recover from an injury he carried into the international break. The midfielder trained only in the gym on Saturday and did not take part in the session at the match venue.
Jorge Jesus explained the decision in his pre-match press conference: "He came with an injury from Manchester United and has been playing with that pain for about three games. It was one of the factors why he didn't play at his level against Wales. I prefer not to risk Bruno in this game and have him fully fit for the Denmark game."
In Fernandes's place, Jesus has called up Sporting defender Gonçalo Inácio, who missed the Wales fixture for technical reasons.
Ronaldo's starting place still uncertain
Cristiano Ronaldo's involvement in the starting eleven remains unconfirmed. The 41-year-old played against Wales on Thursday but produced a performance Jesus described as one where he "can do better."
"I've already spoken with him, I'll see how he is, whether he starts or goes to the bench," Jesus told reporters. "Cris, whether we like it or not, is not João Neves, he doesn't have 20 years old. He's one of the players for whom training will tell me something."
Jesus noted that Ronaldo was involved in seven of Portugal's 15 shots inside the area against Wales, with two on target.
Haaland in the spotlight amid club scandal
The build-up to the match has been overshadowed by developments involving Erling Haaland's club side. Manchester City was found guilty of 114 of 115 financial regulation violations by a Premier League independent commission on Friday. The club plans to appeal, and potential sanctions remain undetermined.
As a result, Haaland was withdrawn from Norway's pre-match media duties on Saturday. Norway manager Ståle Solbakken said the decision was made to allow the striker to focus on the game: "We're going to give him the conditions to concentrate on the next game. I think it's appropriate that he concentrates on scoring goals for Norway."
Haaland remains expected to start. The 26-year-old has scored nine goals in eight official matches this season for club and country, including two against Portugal goalkeeper Diogo Costa when Manchester City defeated FC Porto 2-0 in the Champions League.
Solbakken addressed the inevitable comparisons between Haaland and Ronaldo: "One is in the middle of his career, the other is at the end, probably. With Cristiano Ronaldo you never know. They are two superstars."
Jesús signals attacking approach against strong Norwegian side
Portugal currently shares the lead of Group A4 with Norway on three points each, following Portugal's 1-0 win over Wales and Norway's 3-2 victory against Denmark on the opening matchday.
Jesus indicated he would not set up defensively to counter Norway's attacking threat, which includes Martin Ødegaard and Benfica's Fredrik Aursnes. "Norway is powerful offensively, but I'm not going to look at the game the other way around," he said. "They are strong offensively? I want to be too. I'm not going to be afraid of them."
Solbakken acknowledged Portugal has changed under their new manager: "In the game with Wales, you could see that Portugal already acted differently because of the new coach. He used players in different positions. But Portugal has good players in all positions. We're not going to change our way of playing."
New logistics under Jorge Jesus
The match marks a shift in how Portugal approaches away fixtures. Unlike under previous managers Fernando Santos and Roberto Martínez, who typically traveled only on the eve of away matches, the team flew to Oslo on Friday to train on Norwegian soil before the game.
Match officiating and group context
French official François Letexier will referee the match. He previously officiated Benfica's 0-1 defeat to Real Madrid in last season's Champions League, a match that saw José Mourinho sent off and saw the referee activate anti-racism protocols following a complaint from Vinícius Júnior.
Letexier has refereed Portuguese club sides 14 times previously but has never overseen a senior Portugal international. His record with Portuguese teams includes three wins, five draws, and six losses across Benfica, Sporting, FC Porto, and Braga.
Portugal will also face Denmark on Thursday in Copenhagen at 19:45, before hosting Norway the following Sunday at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto.
Denmark and Wales, both on zero points, face each other in Copenhagen at 17:00 on Sunday.
Crowd trouble at team hotel
Upon arrival at the Radisson Blu hotel in Oslo on Friday evening, Portuguese players were met by hundreds of fans, with Cristiano Ronaldo receiving the most attention. According to Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet, the situation escalated when some supporters breached security barriers, requiring police intervention to disperse the crowd.
Hotel staff reported being subjected to "threats of violence" and "serious harassment," according to the publication. Oslo police operations director Marius Hatléy Kristiansen confirmed officers responded to reports of a "gathering of young people" just before 20:00 local time, but said he had no information about threats against staff. Tickets for the match sold out within two hours, according to Norwegian media.
Historical context in Oslo
Portugal's last competitive visit to Oslo ended in defeat — a 1-0 loss in September 2010 during Euro 2012 qualification, with Erik Huseklepp scoring the winner after an error from goalkeeper Eduardo. Overall, Portugal has won three and lost one of its six competitive meetings with Norway, with two wins coming in Oslo by single-goal margins.
The match will be the first time Ronaldo and Haaland share a pitch as opponents. Ronaldo, Portugal's record scorer with 146 international goals, faces Haaland, who at 26 already has 64 goals in 56 appearances for Norway and leads Nations League scoring with 21 goals.
