Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
Scotland host Portugal at Hampden Park this evening in their latest match in the Nations League, as Steve Clarke’s side look to bounce back from late heartbreak in Zagreb last time out.
A solid performance against Croatia was almost topped off with a last-gasp equaliser on Saturday, but it was ruled out as Che Adams had strayed offside.
That result leaves Scotland rock bottom of League A Group 1, with nothing to show from their first three matches despite encouraging performances in all of them.
And now Clarke’s injury-plagued side host Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal team, who are flying high at the top of their group after beating Poland 3-1 last time out.
Here is everything to know about the game.
When is Scotland v Portugal?
The Nations League match takes place on Tuesday 15 October, with kick-off at 7.45pm BST at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland.
How to watch
The match is not being shown on TV but is available to stream on YouTube.
The rights to Scotland’s Nations League matches are currently held by ViaPlay, but the Norwegian broadcaster has stripped back its operations in the UK over the last year.
Scotland’s matches against Poland and Portugal in September were picked up by ITV, but no such deal was made ahead of the Croatia and Portugal games.
Therefore, Scotland vs Portugal will only be available to watch on the Viaplay International YouTube channel. The stream will go live at 7.30pm.
If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.
Team news
Scotland are still missing plenty of their full squad, with around 12 senior players unavailable. James Forrest is the latest to drop out of the squad, replaced by young Rangers midfielder Connor Barron.
Ben Doak impressed in his first start but Clarke was careful to mention that managing his minutes is an important issue, so he may appear off the bench against the Selecao.
Injuries may force a similar starting 11 to the one that took the pitch against Croatia, though it remains to be seen whether Che Adams and Ryan Gauld did enough to play themselves into Clarke’s thoughts. Certain places, such as those of Billy Gilmour, Scott McTominay and Andy Robertson, remain set in stone.
Portugal manager Roberto Martinez has no new injury worries either after his side’s straightforward win over Poland, so all that remains to be seen is whether he will rotate.
Diogo Jota and Joao Felix could come in for Rafa Leao and Pedro Neto on the wings, while PSG’s Joao Neves could replace his namesake Ruben in midfield, as could Vitinha.
Predicted line-ups
Scotland XI: Gordon; Ralston, Souttar, Hanley, Robertson; Gilmour, McLean; Doak, McTominay, Christie; Dykes
Portugal XI: Costa; Dalot, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; Neves, Silva; Neto, Fernandes, Leao; Ronaldo
Odds
Scotland 9/2
Draw 7/2
Portugal 8/13
The Independent vets betting sites for useability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.
Prediction
Scotland performed well in the reverse fixture and have shown against Croatia and Poland that they can compete at this level, though Portugal will likely just have a little too much quality for them in the final third. Scotland 1-3 Portugal.
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
