World Cup 2022: Bernardo Silva dedicates Portugal victory to injured teammate Danilo – before match has even taken place
It's fair to say one member of the Portuguese squad sounds confident about his country's prospects for their next game...
Portugal star Bernardo Silva appears to have got a little ahead of himself, dedicating to injured teammate Danilo a World Cup 2022 win in a game they haven't even played yet...
Danilo is set to miss his country's remaining group matches against Uruguay and South Korea after breaking ribs in training – and the defender's former clubmate at Manchester City has been quick to express his support.
Speaking to the media in the build-up to the Uruguay clash, Silva said:
"We want to dedicate this win to Danilo because he is a fantastic player and person. That is why we would like to do it for him.
"But we have a strong arsenal of weapons and we will be ready to play against anyone in this tournament."
Portugal kicked off their Qatar 2022 campaign with a not entirely convincing 3-2 victory over Ghana on Thursday.
Cristiano Ronaldo set the 2016 European champions on their way by winning and converting a penalty – becoming the first player ever to score at five separate World Cups.
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Silva won his 74th senior international cap in in that game and will be expected to start against Uruguay on Monday night.
Danilo's absence could well mean a start for veteran centre-back Pepe, who's still going strong at the age of 39.
Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...