On 11 October UTC, Portugal will face Ireland in the 7th round of the first stage group stage of the European qualifiers. Before the match, Portugal manager Martinez attended the conference.
How important is this match?
Currently in a delicate stage, we must do a good job step by step, show the best state, there is no room for error. The team is well prepared and the next focus is to deal with the Irish team. They cannot be underestimated, they played a tough game against Armenia. We will be watching Ireland's reaction and prepare accordingly.
There is currently a lot of conflict between the three main clubs in Portugal, will this affect Portuguese football?
In Portugal we have very fierce competition, but the important thing is the development of players, which is excellent. The key is to see Portuguese talent with potential to make it to the top clubs. This is most important for the manager. Creating shared spaces is important, and Portugal is a country that values youth training. Our players work well together in the dressing room and we want to utilise the power of the fans to continue winning games.
Speaking about the João Neves situation
We have a very good relationship with Paris Saint-Germain. The things that have been said about the situation are not true, the communication has been very smooth. We had the opportunity to give Joao Neves a game. It's important to keep things the way we've always done them to help prepare for the future. We won't call up players who aren't fit. There's no confusion at the moment, it's just that Cancelo and João Neves aren't with the team. We have the opportunity to show the same level of play with different players. The ability of players to play in more than one position is very important and it helps to build a very strong team.
Portugal don't usually have so much time to prepare for matches, what have you learnt from this week's training?
This training is very important. The training in September was similar to now, but then we had to travel around by plane. In contrast, this time we had more time to concentrate and try out tactics on the pitch. In other training sessions, the players relied more on video learning, whereas this time we were able to do more individualised training. For the players who play in Saudi Arabia and whose last match was 10 days ago, being able to spend more time on the grass rather than the limited training time that we usually have was very beneficial.
Trincao has had a good start to the new season but hasn't had much playing time, what are your plans?
He is a special player, creative, talented and shows strength in limited space. We think he is important and played a decisive role in the UEFA Europa League quarter-final against Denmark. We value players who can help the team. Playing time is part of the balance and for tactical reasons. He is a very important player.
Palhinha said he is ready to start, will he start? Will there be more rotation?
I can't reveal the starting lineup, you all know my philosophy. All the players who are on the roster are important and it's an ongoing process. Pallinha is different and we have a lot of trust in him. He is very important and is ready to contribute to the national team. Nineteen players played in the last training session and our aim is to make sure that every player is ready to help. Modern football requires players to contribute to the team at all times.