Portugal head coach Roberto Martínez has described Nigeria's Super Eagles as a difficult and tactically flexible opponent ahead of Wednesday night's international friendly, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
The Seleção das Quinas will host the three-time African champions at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa as part of their final preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The fixture holds added importance for Portugal, who are scheduled to face Democratic Republic of the Congo during the group stage of the tournament.
Martínez believes the clash with Nigeria will provide his side with an ideal opportunity to prepare for the unique challenges posed by African opposition.
“Against Nigeria, we have an opportunity to work on aspects that are similar to the strengths that Congo also has. It's a different African team, with a lot of tactical flexibility. It's a demanding opponent, it's another test to prepare our group,” Martínez told Portuguese outlet O Jogo.
The former Belgium coach also explained his approach to team selection ahead of the encounter, stressing that player fitness and readiness for the World Cup remain his primary concerns.
“No. In the first game, there weren't five or six players, plus Diogo Costa. We continue, it's the last preparation game before the World Cup, but our focus is individual, trying to recover and give minutes to the players who need it,” he said.
“Our first objective is to get the players on the plane to Miami prepared for the World Cup. That's the number one objective. We want to win. In football, you need to expect the unexpected, it happened against Chile. We had total control in the first half, then with a red card, playing 10 against 10, we achieved a good result, but we have aspects that we need to improve.”
Nigeria head into the contest in good form under Éric Chelle, having successfully defended the Unity Cup before earning a 2-2 draw against Poland in Warsaw.
The Super Eagles will be looking to continue their impressive run and secure another positive result against one of Europe's strongest national teams as preparations continue for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.