Soccer

Bernardo Silva the only Portugal concern ahead of Ireland clash

The 2016 European champions look set to be at near full strength for Thursday’s match

Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva is recovering from a slight knock ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Ireland. Photo: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

Gavin Cummiskey's face
Gavin Cummiskey
Tue Nov 9 2021 - 19:03

Bernardo Silva is the only injury concern from a star-studded Portuguese squad that lands in Dublin on Wednesday. The 27-year-old midfielder scored in Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford last Sunday, in a match that featured five of the expected starting XI to face the Republic of Ireland on Thursday night at the Aviva stadium.

Silva should recover from a muscle strain to help form a more dangerous side than the one that beat Ireland 2-1 last September at Estádio Algarve - thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s 96th minute winner - as AC Milan’s Rafael Leão and Atlético Madrid’s João Félix have been added to an already stunning array of attacking options.

Portugal can lose to Ireland and still qualify for Qatar 2022 as outright Pool A winners if they beat or even draw with Serbia in Lisbon on Sunday.