Roberto Martínez Confirms Absence, Promises Response After Disappointment

Portugal's national team coach, Roberto Martínez, previewed Tuesday's match against Uzbekistan, a crucial fixture in Group K of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Nearly a week after a disappointing draw against DR Congo, the Spanish coach acknowledged the poor performance in that opening game in Houston, assuring that the team has moved past it and will deliver a different response against the Uzbeks.

The coach also confirmed one definite absence for the upcoming match. Benfica's center-back Tomás Araújo, who started in the opener, is out of contention and is expected to be replaced in the starting XI by Rúben Dias, who missed the previous game due to physical issues.

"We were very self-critical after the game; we had to understand what we did well, what we failed to do, and why we couldn't reach the final third. We've cleared the feelings of anger and sadness because we didn't achieve our objective, and now our focus is absolute. The work has been very good, and now we need to improve. We had a difficult moment, but the reaction has given us more strength, and the group is even more united," he affirmed.