Martinez says Portugal primed for Colombia clash after months of planning

[p]Martinez said his side had benefitted from ‌having started their groundwork back in March for the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/colombia-G02s4PCS/portugal-WvJrjFVN/?mid=vL2qotaK"]game at Miami Stadium[/a].[/p][p][b]"We started preparing for ‌the match against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/colombia/G02s4PCS/"]Colombia[/a] back in March... We've already had 13 training ‌sessions here in Miami to adapt to the weather,"[/b] Martinez told reporters.[/p][p][b]"The plan was ‌to stay in Miami (Florida) to prepare for the match against Colombia.[/b][/p][p][b]"The players ‌are ready for the physical challenge of playing in a different stadium and on a different pitch that is a different turf from what we have in Europe. That's what ‌we did, we've prepared since the first day we ⁠arrived in the US."[/b][/p][image alt="Portugal's recent form" id="0df70ba1-bc83-4f0e-93eb-1667f9d7ac99" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="7b05bfbf-653d-402c-8105-e528fc64661c" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][h2]'Away from home'[/h2][p]Martinez ‌acknowledged [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/WvJrjFVN/"]Portugal[/a] would face their first match "away from home" due to the large Colombian ​fanbase expected in Miami, where tickets for the highly anticipated clash reportedly sold for thousands of dollars.[/p][p][b]"It means I had to buy tickets ​for my family in November,"[/b] Martinez quipped when asked about the fan dedication. [b]"That's what it means, because I knew it was going to be difficult ⁠to get tickets."[/b][/p][p][b]"I hope that ​tomorrow football wins and the inspiration of anyone that watches the game wins."[/b][/p][p]While Colombia have reached the knockout stages with six points from two games, Portugal sit second on four points and are all but through.[/p][p]Finishing second could give them a ‌tougher path in the knockout stage, with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a] or [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/croatia/K8aznggo/"]Croatia[/a] potential opponents.[/p][embed guid="8b00d02c-d1ed-40c7-b510-aac03bba7a5d" url="https://x.com/selecaoportugal/status/2070563629917766083" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Tournament pathways and Dua Lipa[/h2][p]But Martinez, who was in good spirits and even had a laugh when Dua Lipa songs played through the speakers and interrupted his press conference, said he never concerned himself with tournament pathways.[/p][p][b]"No, it doesn't (matter). If this were my first World Cup, I would have said 'yes' because you're inexperienced and you try to plan the journey, for every possible scenario, but you realise that isn't realistic," [/b]he said.[/p][p][b]"I believe the focus should be to win ‌every game, forget about the next opponent and respect the opponent. If ​you want to win the World Cup, you have to beat everybody.[/b][/p][p][b]"You ‌must accept the complexity and the focus should be on playing our best."[/b][/p][p]Martinez warned that Nestor Lorenzo's Colombia would pose a different tactical challenge.[/p][p][b]"They have players like (captain) [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rodriguez-james/MPaioN57/"]James Rodriguez[/a], Luis Suarez and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/diaz-luis/SKjMUHVm/"]Luis Diaz[/a]... They transition well and they are very fast," [/b]he said.[/p][p][b]"They work as a team, ⁠they have tactical clarity. There is ⁠quality in the players and ‌they love being part of the national team."[/b][/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]