Portugal begin Jorge Jesus’s reign against Wales on Thursday night with João Neves among the substitutes, while Cristiano Ronaldo leads the side as captain.
João Neves waits for his chance
Jorge Jesus has made an immediate midfield call for his first match as Portugal coach in the Nations League. The new manager has not included Paris Saint-Germain midfielder João Neves in his starting XI for the 20:45 meeting with Wales.
- Rúben Neves starts in the holding midfield role.
- Vitinha is deployed further forward, operating as a No. 10.
- João Neves begins the match on the bench.
- PSG left-back Nuno Mendes is selected from the start.
The decision means Portugal’s Paris contingent is split on the opening night of the Jesus era, with Mendes entrusted to begin on the left side of the defence and João Neves held back.
Ronaldo captains Portugal in Jesus debut
At the other end, Cristiano Ronaldo starts at the age of 41 and wears the captain’s armband, as Jorge Jesus had indicated before the match.
Ronaldo is joined in attack by João Félix, his club teammate. The pairing is particularly familiar to Portugal’s new coach: Jesus worked with both forwards at Al-Nassr before accepting the national-team role.
A first selection statement
The Wales fixture is the first competitive test for Jesus since his appointment, and his team selection places Rúben Neves at the base of midfield while giving Vitinha greater attacking responsibility. Portugal enter the evening with Ronaldo at the centre of the attack, Nuno Mendes in the starting side and João Neves waiting on the bench.
