Friendly: Portugal coach, Martinez names player that’ll play full 90 minutes against Nigeria

Portugal’s head coach, Roberto Martínez has announced that Porto’s goalkeeper, Diogo Costa will play the entire 90 minutes in their friendly match against the Super Eagles on Wednesday evening.

With 42 international appearances and having played every minute during Portugal’s World Cup qualifying matches, Costa is the team’s undisputed first-choice goalkeeper.

Nevertheless, the 26-year-old has not participated in Portugal’s last three fixtures, missing the games against Mexico and the United States due to an adductor injury, and he was an unused substitute in the match against Chile on Sunday, June 6.

Martínez emphasized that while Portugal plans to rotate several players during the friendly against the Super Eagles to manage their workload and evaluate squad depth, Costa’s position in goal is assured for the entire match.

In a statement reported by A Bola, he informed journalists, “Our emphasis is on the individual, providing playing time to those who require it. The primary goal is to prepare the players for the flight to Miami for the World Cup. 

“We aim to win. This is an opportunity to work on elements that I believe are similar to those we will face against Congo. They are a challenging opponent, and this serves as another test.

“We will make adjustments throughout the match; the plan is for Diogo Costa to complete the full 90 minutes while the other players receive some playing time.”

Costa was part of Portugal’s squad the last time they played Nigeria, but he remained on the bench for the entire match, with former Wolverhampton Wanderers goalkeeper, Rui Patrício chosen to start in goal.