Cristiano Ronaldo will start against Georgia, Roberto Martinez has confirmed, despite Portugal already being safely through to the Euro 2024 knockouts.
A 2-1 comeback win over Czechia and a 3-0 thumping of Turkey has sealed Portugal’s place as Group F winners with a game to spare.
It means Wednesday night’s clash against Georgia in Gelsenkirchen is a dead-rubber for Martinez’s side, and the manager had previously said he would be resting many players in preparation for the last-16.
Many expected that would include Ronaldo who has played every minute of the tournament so far and performed well despite not finding the back of the net yet, especially since the 39-year-old is no longer at his physical peak.
But in a surprise decision, Martinez has announced that his captain and talisman will be involved from the start, saying in his pre-match press conference: ‘Cristiano will be a starter tomorrow.
‘He is an important player. He had a very consistent season and played every match, playing a lot of minutes.
‘To continue the competitive pace, it is not a good idea to stop him playing now and then reactivate him in another six days.
‘The opponent in the round of 16 is not important now. Our focus is on the Georgia match. We want to win and give our best.’
Among those hoping to join the Manchester United and Real Madrid legend in the forward line is Diogo Jota, who had a half-hour cameo against Czechia but was left on the bench for the Turkey win.
It was reported that the Liverpool star had missed training on Monday with an injury issue and while he has returned, Martinez couldn’t say for sure if he would be fit enough for the match.