Roberto Martinez assured that his focus is entirely on Portugalโs last game in Group K against Colombia, and not on possible crossovers in the World Cup knockout stages.
Portugal will face Colombia at Miami Stadium in the battle for top spot in the group, with Nestor Lorenzoโs side already guaranteed a place in the round of 16 after two wins from two games.
If Colombia avoid defeat, they will finish top and face one of the top third parties in Groups D, E, I or L. As of today, that would be Croatia.
But Portugal needs to win to take top spot from its rival and enters the match confidently, beating tournament debutant Uzbekistan 5-0.
Portugal have lost only two of their 17 World Cup group stage matches (W9 D6), losing 0-4 to Germany in the first round in 2014 and 1-2 to South Korea in the third round in 2022.
However, they will face Colombia, who are unbeaten in their last three World Cup matches against UEFA teams and are one of seven teams in this yearโs tournament to have won their first two matches.
โThe goal is to try to win the game and not think about the next opponent,โ Martinez said Friday.
โIf you want to do well in a tournament, you have to be able to beat anyone.
โIn a tournament like the World Cup, there is no one right way or ideal position. The main thing is to show your best side, and this can only be achieved by victory.โ
Second in the group will face the second-placed team in Group L, currently Ghana, before a final match against Croatia, who also remain in contention.
And if Portugal are left without first place, they will regret the draw in their opening match against DR Congo, although they came back decisively on the final day against Uzbekistan.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals and became the first player in history to score in six different World Cups; He is also now hoping to score in back-to-back matches at the World Cup for the first time since the second round of 2018.
โWe want to continue what we did in the second game and continue to improve in the areas that we need,โ Martinez added.
Colombia is a very important game for assessing our level. We want to win, we want to ensure the continuity of our work.
โI think the team has found a very good balance. Our performance in the second game gave us a lot of confidence and strength to believe in everything we do.
โThe team is improving. We are not a team that is losing its strengths; on the contrary, we continue to grow. We must show our quality and become Portugal again.โ
Martinez, however, acknowledged that Colombia will be a tough test and highlighted their offensive potential ahead of what will be the first World Cup clash between both teams.
โColumbia is a very complete team,โ Martinez said. โHe truly believes in what he does. The coachโs approach conveys continuity and clarity of ideas.
โItโs not about which players are on the field, itโs about the collective game plan.
โThey have players like (Juan Fernando) Quintero and James Rodriguez in midfield and crucial transition players like Luis Diaz and Luis Suarez.โ
This is a machine translation and may contain minor inaccuracies.