Portugal’s Euro 2016-winning manager Fernando Santos had to depart the head coach job following their disappointing quarter-final exit to Morocco in the World Cup.
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Portugal will begin a new era under head coach Roberto Martinez when they welcome Liechtenstein to Estadio de Alvalade for a Euro 2024 qualifier in Group J. The home side’s Euro 2016-winning manager Fernando Santos had to depart the head coach job following Portugal’s disappointing quarter-final exit to Morocco in the World Cup. They had a star-studded bunch with quality players present all over the pitch. There was never a better opportunity than this for Portugal to make a statement at a World Cup and they also got a kind knockout draw.
However, to the frustration of many, Portugal suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Morocco in the last-eight stage – not something many saw coming. The stunning exit from Qatar resulted in a managerial change. Out went Santos and in came Martinez. At the World Cup though Martinez was taking charge of a different European side in Belgium. But a quality-packed Belgium side departed in the group stage, resulting in Martinez leaving that role.
His first job now would be to make the most of Portugal’s star quality. In the last few years, Portugal have been able to produce some of the best in business, who have been playing for top clubs across Europe. Besides, it will be interesting to see how Martinez utilises the ageing superstar Cristiano Ronaldo. On the other hand, Liechtenstein will be the clear underdogs in this fixture. They are going through a poor spell of late and it will take a monumental effort from them to get anything out of this fixture.
Read More – Portugal vs Liechtenstein: Euro 2024 Qualifier Live Stream, Form Guide, Head to Head, Schedule, Fixture and Probable Lineups
These two countries have not played each other on many occasions. The few times they have come up against one another has been heavily in favour of Portugal. A total of seven matches have happened between these two countries over the years in various competitions. Portugal – as expected – lead the head to head with six victories. The remaining one game ended in a draw. This will be the first game between these two countries in about 14 years, the last one ending 3-0 in favour of Portugal in 2009.
| Key Details | Stats |
|---|---|
| Total matches | 7 |
| Portugal won | 6 |
| Liechtenstein won | – |
| Draws | 1 |
| Total Portugal goals | 35 |
| Total Liechtenstein goals | 3 |
| Biggest Portugal win | 8-0 (1999) |
| Biggest Liechtenstein win | – |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Portugal beat Liechtenstein | 0-3 |
| Portugal beat Liechtenstein | 2-1 |
| Liechtenstein draw Portugal | 2-2 |
| Portugal beat Liechtenstein | 8-0 |
| Portugal beat Liechtenstein | 0-5 |
