(Football news) Euro 2016 and Nations League 2019 winners Portugal have still not guaranteed their place in the 2022 Qatar World Cup. After finishing 2nd in their qualification group, Portugal were pitted against Turkey for the play off semi final which they won 3-1. They now have one more barrier in their way which is North Macedonia.

North Macedonia in 2021 played in their first major tournament at the Euros. They managed to finish 2nd in their World Cup qualification group ahead of Romania, Armenia and Iceland. In their playoff semi final, North Macedonia shocked the world by defeating European champions Italy. They are now one step away from creating history by reaching the World Cup finals for the first time in their history.

Portugal will be boosted by the return of Joao Cancelo who has served his suspension. Pepe has also recovered from Covid and should start in the heart of the defence which means Danilo Pereira can go back in midfield. Manchester United duo Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot are the two players likely to make way for Cancelo and Pepe. As always, all eyes will be on Cristiano Ronaldo to produce something extraordinary as he has done so many times for club and country.

If Portugal do qualify, the 2022 World Cup could be Ronaldo's last and if not he might even hang up his international boots. The bigger picture is that this is one of the strongest Portuguese squads ever and if they still fail to qualify for the World Cup it will be a big disappointment. North Macedonia will be high on confidence after their emphatic win over Italy and will back themselves to get the job done and book their tickets to Qatar.

Also read: Poland to take on Sweden for a place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar