The Chosen Ones

For the last 2 games of qualifying Scolari called the following players:

Keepers: Ricardo (Bétis) and Quim (Benfica).
Defenders: Bosingwa and Bruno Alves (FC Porto), Miguel and Caneira (Valência), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Fernando Meira (Estugarda), Pepe (Real Madrid) and Jorge Ribeiro (Boavista).
Midfielders: Raul Meireles (FC Porto), Miguel Veloso (Sporting), Manuel Fernandes (Valência) and Maniche (Atlético Madrid).
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo and Nani (Manchester United), Simão (Atlético Madrid), Ricardo Quaresma (FC Porto), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen) and Makukula (Marítimo).

Ricardo Carvalho reported to camp with complaints of back pain, and after several tests he was declared unfit and excused from the National team. Apparently it was an injury that Carvalho had suffered in the last game he played for Chelsea, an injury that was later described as fractured vertebras in his back. He will be out of action for at least 8 weeks. Miguel contracted a muscular injury during one of the first training sessions and was also excused from national team duty. He was later substituted by Sporting's right back - Abel, who earned his first call up.

Breaking Down the sectors

Keepers - Ricardo and Quim have been the the 2 keepers of choice of Scolari for a long time now. In my opinion they are undoubtedly the best 2 Portuguese keepers at the moment. Ricardo will continue to be #1 despite Quim's good form.

Defenders - The middle of the defense seems to be the deepest position for Portugal, with no lack of good players currently. Due to the injury of Ricardo Carvalho, Scolari will have 3 natural defenders at his disposal - Meira, Bruno Alves and Pepe. The Luso-Brasilian is making his first National team camp appearance after being excused from the last concentration due to an injury. There was no need to call another player for Carvalho's spot, being that, Both Caneira and Miguel Veloso can serve as back up. Alves has played well and has been a starter for the past 4 national team games, if i'm not mistaken, he benefitted from Andrade's poor form and injury to break into the starting team and he has been there ever since. Meira played all of last years World Cup and has played on and off in the middle of defense throughout qualification. He is currently enjoying a good period of form and has had an important role at his club team - Stuttgart, where he is a captain. Pepe is coming from an injury and despite his familiarity with Alves he is lacking the familiarity with other defensive sector players as well as midfield players. So in the middle we will see Meira and Alves. For the sides, Bosingwa will get the start on the right as he is going through a great period of form and is a player with great stamina and athleticism. On the left it'll be Caneira, who will return after being injured in the game against Poland back in August. Abel and Ribeiro, will be there to add depth. Absent is Paulo Ferreira who is currently injured.

Midfield - Manuel Fernandes returns after more than 2 and a half years since his last call up. He is a player that has similar characteristics of Tiago, who seems to be going through a rough period at Juventus. Manuel Fernandes has been a stand out for the u-21 national team and is a player that has really matured in the past year or so, his call up was inevitable. Miguel Veloso, Raul Meireles and Maniche maintain Scolari's trust. Meireles and Veloso have more defensive characteristics, while Maniche is a pure transition player. Manuel Fernandes adds depth to the middle of the field as he is capable of playing both positions. Veloso and Maniche will get the nod in the midfield. Moutinho is the other notable absence, with Scolari wanting to go with a more offensive minded player in Manuel Fernandes.

Forwards - With Deco's absence in the midfield due to injury, Scolari told the media that he will use Simao in the "10" position. It is not an unfamiliar postion for the winger, he played it several times while at Benfica, and is tactically and technically sound for the task. This means that we will see Quaresma and Cristiano Ronaldo on the wings. Something, that is by some considered the dream wing tandem and the future. Nani will serve as back up for one of the wingers although he can also play a striker position if need be. Up front there's 3 for one spot. Makukula, Almeida and Nuno Gomes. Scolari has already told the media that, currently Nuno Gomes is not 100% to start (he has only played one full 90min games since returning from injury with Benfica) so the decision will fall on Makukula or Almeida, with the latter one having the advantage of having played a lot more minutes with the other 10 players, a factor that has certainly been taken into consideration by Scolari. Absent is Postiga, Scolari did not comment on Postiga's absence, but one can only conclude that the 3 center forwards called are all in better form than Postiga.

Starting 11

In conclusion i am projecting the following 11 to start -

Ricardo

Bosingwa - Meira - Alves - Caneira

Veloso

Maniche

Quaresma - Simao - Ronaldo

Almeida

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