TODAY: GROUP D - 12.30 Portugal are likely to scrap the open brand of football which took them to the semi-finals of the last European Championship and play safety-first in today's clash in which defeat could send them home.
The players have told reporters that they need a tighter formation than the line-up which left space for the United States to inflict one of the all-time World Cup shocks with a 3-2 victory in their opening match.
That implies coach Antonio Oliveira will field two rather than one in a second line of defence, while playing just three in midfield and a lone striker up front. Paulo Bento will likely join Armando Petit in front of the back four.
At the back, Nuno Frechaut will probably step in for the more defensive Beto Severo on the right, while the tighter formation could mean leaving out either forward Joao Pinto or midfielder Rui Costa, whose distribution was notably below his usual standard against the US. The stakes could hardly be higher for a side which was ranked among the favourites for the competition.
Poland can hardly be as ineffective as they were against South Korea, but coach Jerzy Engel's options for personnel changes are limited.
He started against the Koreans with Maciej Zurawski up front alongside Emmanuel Olisadebe, but pulled him off at half-time to bring on Pawel Kryszalowicz.
However, neither combination made any headway and Engel will be demanding more from whichever pairing he goes for this time.
Midfielders Piotr Swierczewski and Radoslaw Kaluzny will also have to find a massive improvement to make any headway against a talented Portuguese side.
PROBABLE TEAMS
Portugal: Baia; Frechaut, Costa, Couto, Jorge; Petit, Bento; Conceicao, Costa, Figo; Pauleta.
Poland: Dudek; Bak, Waldoch, Hajto, Zewlakow; Kozminski, Swierczewski, Kaluzny, Krzynowek; Olisadebe, Kryszalowicz.
Referee: H Dallas (Scotland).
