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Cristiano Ronaldo has been left out of Portugal's squad which will travel to face Switzerland in the UEFA Nations League, according to the Manchester Evening News. The 37-year-old forward has been given a break by manager Fernando Santos and there are no injury concerns for their captain.
According to the aforementioned source, three Portuguese players have been given a break ahead of their game against Switzerland. These include Ronaldo along with Joao Moutinho and Raphael Guerreiro. Fernando Santos was quoted as saying the following in that regard:
"There are no physical problems. It is normal management. It wouldn't make sense to have 26 players travelling if we can only play 23. It fell to these players to miss out, that's all."
Cristiano Ronaldo has had a long 2021-22 season. The 37-year-old forward competed in 38 games across all competitions for Manchester United. The Portuguese skipper scored 24 goals during the course of last season.
In the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo, Fernando Santos could start with Liverpool forward Diogo Jota up front. Other forwards who could feature in the game include Rafael Leao and Otavio.
Portugal come into the game against Switzerland on the back of a 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic. The Euro 2016 winners have so far picked up seven points from their opening three Nations League games and are top of their group.
Switzerland, meanwhile, have had a poor start to their UEFA Nations League campaign. The Euro 2020 quarterfinalists have lost all three of their games in the tournament and sit bottom of their group.
Portugal skipper Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice against Switzerland
This is the second time the Selecao are facing Switzerland in this year's UEFA Nations League. The two sides faced each other a week ago when Fernando Santos' side secured an emphatic 4-0 victory. Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals on that occasion. Both goals were scored in the first half in a span of four minutes.
William Carvalho and Joao Cancelo were the other goalscorers in the game.
His brace against Switzerland meant that Ronaldo has now scored 117 goals for Portugal in 189 caps.
Cristiano Ronaldo will be Portugal's main man during the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. This could very well be Ronaldo's final opportunity to win international football's biggest prize with his national team.
