The Portugal Under-21 side will square off against Chile’s Under-21 in the second Group A match of the 2014 Toulon Tournament on Friday, May 23, 2014 at 8:15 AM Pacific.
Portugal got their campaign off to a fine start with a convincing 2-0 victory over Mexico. Manager Ilido Vale would certainly have been pleased with the professionalism that his side displayed and will surely head into the clash against a deflated Chilean side full of confidence.
In stark contrast to the mood in the Portuguese camp, Chile would have been devastated by their disappointing opening game of the tournament, where they succumbed to a comprehensive 3-0 loss at the hands of France.
It goes without saying that the clash on Friday evening will be of paramount importance for both sides, as Portugal can take a massive leap towards their hopes of reaching the final with a victory, while three points for Chile will mean that they have a chance of salvaging their tournament.
The match will be held in the tiny Stade Perruc Stadium which can hold a capacity of just over 1,000, but one can be sure that the two sides will be fiercely contesting the clash.
Teams
Portugal
Portugal were impressive during their clash against Mexico and it will certainly be a surprise if manager Vale decides to make too many alterations to his squad against Chile.
Bruno Varela should be starting in goal and the Benfica custodian will most probably be shielded by a defence consisting of the likes of Joao Cancelo, Ruben Vezo, Rafael Floro and captain Tobias Figueiredo.
Joao Teixeira was in fine form against Mexico where he grabbed a goal and the young man will surely start on Friday, with Bruno Fernandes, Claude Goncalves, Leandro Silva and Alexandre Guedes most likely completing the midfield lineup.
The likes of Fabio Cardoso and Fabio Sturgeon will also be in contention, having made an appearance in the opening game.
There might well be an alteration in attack though as Helder Costa managed to find the net just minutes after being introduced from the bench against Mexico and will be in contention to start. If Costa is afforded a start, Ricardo Horta looks the most likely candidate to make way.
Chile
Chile manager Claudio Vivas, on the other hand might think of making wholesale changes to his side after seeing his players put up a insipid performance against France.
Alvaro Salazar should keep his place in goal but the likes of Pablo Vargas, Igor Lichnovsky, Andres Robles and Luis Pavez could see their position under threat.
Captain Cesar Fuentes will probably retain his spot in midfield and the likes of Christian Bravo, Deigo Rojas and Fabian Carmona could come into the squad, in place of Sebastian Martinez, Claudio Baeza and Felipe Mora.
Christian Cuevas could also make way for Nicolas Castillo in attack, who is likely to partner Juan Delgado in attack.
Portugal vs Chile Probable Lineups
Portugal: Varela; Cancelo, Vezo, Figueiredo, Floro; Fernandes, Goncalves, Silva, Guedes, Horta; Costa
Chile: Salazar; Vargas, Osorio, Lichnovsky, Pavez; Martinez, Fuentes, Bravo, Carmona; Castillo, Delgado
Portugal vs Chile Prediction
Matches at the Under-20 level are very difficult to predict as there is very little in terms of form to go by. However, Portugal looked very impressive in the opening clash against Mexico but Chile on the other hand, looked out of sorts.
While Chile should certainly improve on their performance against France, Portugal seem to have enough about them to claim another victory and take a giant leap towards making it into the finals of the competition.
Prediction: Portugal 2 – 0 Chile
Venue: StadePerruc, Hyères
Date: 23/05/2014
Kick-off: 8:15 AM Pacific
TV Schedule: beIN Sports USA
