Injured PSG midfielder João Neves ruled out of Portugal's World Cup clash against Ireland

JOA-OUT: Portugal have lost João Neves for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Ireland. Pic: KERSTIN JOENSSON/AFP via Getty Images.

Portugal have lost João Neves, one half of their Paris Saint-Germain Champions League winning partnership, for Saturday’s World Cup qualifier against Ireland at José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon (7.45pm).

Roberto Martinez has drafted in Lazio’s left-sided defender Nuno Tavares as a replacement.

The group’s top seeds began the campaign last month by claiming maximum points from fixtures away to Armenia and Hungary.

They complete this month’s window by hosting Hungary, also at Sporting’s 52,000-seater stadium in the capital, next Tuesday.

“The FPF Health and Performance Directorate, in conjunction with the PSG medical department, considered that the Portuguese international midfielder is not in a physical condition to participate in the National Team's matches”, explained the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) about the withdrawal of João Neves.

This next World Cup, held in North America in June 2026, has been circled by Portugal supporters as the opportunity for this golden generation to end their wait for the biggest prize in the global game.

Captain Cristiano Ronaldo will be 41 by the time he features in America, an assumption made by managers of both Hungary and Ireland following the opening pair of fixtures.

It took João Cancelo’s late winner in Budapest for the Portuguese to edge Hungary 3-2 and while the locals foresee that rematch next Tuesday as pivotal, Martinez only has eyes on an Ireland side wounded by dropping five points from six last month.

“Ireland had a bad camp so we expect a tough Ireland to face us on Saturday,” declared the former Wigan Athletic and Everton manager, who also faced the Irish in friendlies while in charge of Belgium.

“This qualification is over six games so there's no room for error. We need to build on the results we've achieved in September.

“Our focus is on trying to win both games in front of our fans. What I saw in September was the very controlled group of players and it was incredible to see the spirit of this group.

“We're building on that at every camp. I'd say the June and September camps are an example of the team's values, resilience, and everything a team needs to win.

“We've already met Hungary, which was very balanced and had a very strong competitive edge.

“So, the idea is to focus on the games now and not make the mistake of looking ahead beyond Ireland first.”

Cancelo missed out through injury but Nélson Semedo, Matheus Nunes and Rafael Leão returned to the squad as Portugal aim to make it four wins out of four, to all but seal top spot in the group and with it automatic qualification for next year’s tournament held across USA, Canada and Mexico.

Portugal squad for Ireland and Hungary World Cup qualifiers

Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (FC Porto), José Sá (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Rui Silva (Sporting CP).

Defenders: Diogo Dalot ( Manchester United), Nélson Semedo (Fenerbahçe), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), Gonçalo Inácio (Sporting CP), António Silva (SL Benfica), Renato Veiga (Villarreal).

Midfielders: João Palhinha (Tottenham Hotspur), Rúben Neves (Al Hilal), Nuno Tavares (Lazio), Matheus Nunes (Manchester City), Vitinha (PSG), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), Pedro Gonçalves (Sporting CP), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City).

Forwards: João Félix (Al Nassr), Francisco Trincão (Sporting CP), Francisco Conceição (Juventus), Pedro Neto (Chelsea FC), Rafael Leão (AC Milan) Gonçalo Ramos (PSG), Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr).