Portugal v Turkey live stream, Thursday 24 March, 7.45pm GMT
Portugal and Turkey will go head-to-head on Thursday for a place in the final of the World Cup qualification play-offs.
Fernando Santos’s side suffered a last-16 exit at Euro 2020 last summer, as a goal from Thorgan Hazard brought Belgium a 1-0 win in Seville. That disappointment was compounded a few months later when Portugal only managed a second-place finish in Group A of their qualification group.
A 0-0 draw with the Republic of Ireland and a 2-1 defeat by Serbia in their final two matches proved decisive, as the latter finished three points clear at the top of the table. If Portugal are to reach Qatar, they will need to do things the hard way: even if they beat Turkey on Thursday, Italy will almost certainly await in the final.
Turkey were tipped as potential underdogs going into the recent European Championship, but three defeats from three meant they were one of only eight sides eliminated in the group phase. They did at least bounce back to finish second in Group G ahead of a talented Norway side.
Santos will have to make do without Ruben Dias for the play-offs, but Pepe will be involved despite a recent head injury. There has been talk of Portugal potentially switching to a back three for this match, but it would be risky for Santos to switch to an untested system when the stakes are so high.
Renato Sanches and Nelson Semedo have also missed out through injury, while Ruben Neves was named in the original squad but has been forced to drop out, with Vitinha called up to replace him.
Turkey will be unable to call upon the services of Cenk Tosun, who has tested positive for Covid-19, plus the injured Cengiz Under, Ozan Tufan, Halil Akbunar, Umut Meras and Serdar Aziz.
Kick-off is at 7.45pm GMT on Thursday 24 March, and UK viewers can watch it on Sky Sports Premier League. See below for international broadcast options.
VPN guide
Use a VPN to watch World Cup qualifiers from outside your country
If you’re out of the country for a round of fixtures, then annoyingly your domestic on-demand services won’t work – the broadcaster knows where you are because of your IP address (boo!). You'll be blocked from watching it, which is not ideal if you’ve paid up for a subscription and still want to catch Steve Bruce’s extra-red face without resorting to illegal feeds you’ve found on Reddit.
But assistance is on hand. To get around that, all you have to do is get a Virtual Private Network (VPN), assuming it complies with your broadcaster’s T&Cs. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and t'internet, meaning the service can’t work out where you are and won't automatically block the service you've paid for. All the info going between is entirely encrypted – and that's a result.
There are plenty of good-value options out there, including:
UK TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for UK subscribers
Sky Sports and BT Sport are the two main players once again, but Amazon also have a slice of the pie in 2021/22.
US TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for US subscribers
NBC Sports Group are the Premier League rights holders, with the Peacock Premium streaming platform showing even more than the 175 games it aired last season, with other matches split between NBCSN channel, CNBC and the over-the-air NBC broadcast channel. If you pick up a fuboTV subscription for the games not on Peacock Premium, you'll be able to watch every game.
Head back to our VPN advice so you can take advantage when you're out of the country.
Canada TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Canadian subscribers
DAZN subscribers can watch every single Premier League game in 2021/22 – and it gets better. After a one-month free trial, you'll only have to pay a rolling $20-a-month fee, or make it an annual subscription of $150.
The broadcaster also has all the rights to Champions League and Europa League games in Canada, too.
Want in while you're out of Canada? Scroll back up and check out the VPN offers above.
Australia TV rights
How to watch Premier League live streams for Australian subscribers
Optus Sport are offering every game of the Premier League season for just $14.99/month for non-subscribers, which you can get via a Fetch TV box and other friendly streaming devices.
To take advantage while you're not Down Under, follow the VPN advice towards the top of this page.
New Zealand TV rights
How to watch a Premier League live stream for New Zealand subscribers
Spark Sport are serving up all 380 games – plus various highlights and magazine shows throughout the week, as well as the Champions League – for $24.99 a month, after a seven-day free trial.
It's also available via web browsers, Apple/Android devices, Google Chromecast and some Samsung TVs, and Apple TV and Smart TV compatibility new for this season.
Check out our VPN deals to watch when you’re not in New Zealand.
