Martinez expects ‘very competitive’ Nigeria test ahead of Portugal’s World Cup campaign

[p]The match carries different significance for both nations. For the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/nigeria/EBE2Xb3l/"]Super Eagles[/a], it forms part of their rebuilding process after missing out on qualification for the 2026 World Cup, while the Europeans will use the fixture as crucial preparation for their tournament opener against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/d-r-congo/phn9mm8H/"]DR Congo[/a].[/p][p]Both teams [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/nigeria-EBE2Xb3l/portugal-WvJrjFVN/?mid=COGgSqom"]head into the contest[/a] in encouraging form. Nigeria earned a creditable 2-2 draw against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/poland/2HzmcynI/"]Poland[/a] in their previous outing, while [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/WvJrjFVN/"]Portugal[/a] recorded a hard-fought 2-1 victory over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/chile/KUCG35cM/"]Chile[/a].[/p][p]During his pre-match conference, Martinez was asked by [i][b]Flashscore [/b][/i]about the challenge he expects from Chelle’s side and the key takeaways he hopes to gain from the friendly.[/p][p]While the Spaniard acknowledged the quality of the three-time African champions, he noted that the game would provide an ideal test for his players and allow his team to assess different aspects of their game before taking on Sebastien Desabre’s Leopards.[/p][embed guid="3873c564-bb32-49ce-be65-bf187dac1cf7" url="https://x.com/sportingshina/status/2064497550887948680" social-type="twitter" /][p][b]“I think there are two main aspects for us (before we play) against a team like Congo,”[/b] the former Belgium manager said.[/p][p][b]“There are aspects, in terms of Nigeria's forward players, where I think there are qualities that will be very helpful for us to defend as a team in the areas we're going to face against DR Congo. [/b][/p][p]“I expect a Nigerian team to be very competitive.[/p][p][b]“I enjoyed the game against Poland, the last friendly. I love the ideas of the coach. I think, flexibly, as a team, using the different systems that they use, fits different players in different positions.”[/b][/p][p]He also described the Super Eagles as a highly competitive side capable of maintaining high standards despite the absence of key players like Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen.[/p][p][b]“I can see that obviously players like Osimhen and Lookman are not here, but they are replaced by other players,”[/b] he continued.[/p][p]“They have a really high level of performance, and I expect a very competitive game.[/p][p][b]“Real quality players with a lot of experience like (Calvin) Bassey, Alex (Iwobi) - players that I know very, very well.  (I expect) a competitive game that I think is going to help both teams in many aspects.”[/b][/p][p]Making their ninth appearance at the global showpiece, Portugal are hoping to win the title for the very first time. Their best outing remains a third-place finish at the 1966 edition staged in England.[/p][p]Martinez and his men begin their campaign against DR Congo on June 17 before taking on debutants Uzbekistan six days later in Houston. Their final Group K fixture comes against Colombia on June 27 in Miami. [/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /][image alt="Shina Oludare" id="83897620-7ab2-42bc-851a-b09c892550c8" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="78527186-506f-413c-947b-f11310b9a5d1" original-width="1200" original-height="381" /]