Portugal Women vs England Women: Preview, predictions and lineups

England are set to take on Portugal in Portimao on Friday evening in their opening match of the 2025 UEFA Nations League group stage.

It will be the first meeting between the two sides since their goal-less friendly in July 2023, a match that served as a World Cup warm-up for both teams. Portugal made their World Cup debut that summer, finishing third in their group behind the United States and Netherlands, only narrowly missing out on a place in the knockout stages.

Last year's Nations League campaign was a challenging one for both teams. England finished second in their group behind the Netherlands, failing to qualify for the finals and missing out on Olympic qualification, while Portugal struggled in a tough group and finished bottom.

With both sides eager to start the new campaign on the front foot, England will look to assert expected dominance, while Portugal will hope home advantage can help them cause an upset.

Here is 90min's guide to Friday’s Nations League clash.

What time does Portugal vs England kick off?

• Location: Portimao, Portugal
• Stadium: Portimao Estadio
• Date: Friday 21 February
• Kick-off Time: 19:45 GMT / 20:45 CET / 14:45 ET
• Referee: Ivana Projkovska (MKD)

Portugal vs England head-to-head record 

• Portugal: 0 wins
• England: 2 wins
• Draws: 1

• Last meeting: England 0-0 Portugal (1 July 2023) - International friendly

Current form

How to watch Portugal vs England on TV - UK

Portugal team news

Benfica defender Lucia Alves is back with the national team after several months on the sidelines with a knee injury. She returned to action for her club in December and has 11 games under her belt ahead of Friday's clash.

Elsewhere, Kika Nazareth of Barcelona and Sporting CP's Diana Silva are both in Francisco Neto's squad for their upcoming games. Atletico Madrid's Tatiana Pinto and goalkeeper Ines Pereira also made the cut.

Portugal predicted lineup vs England

Portugal predicted lineup vs England (3-4-3): Pereira; Gomes, C. Costa, Seica; Alves, Jacinto, Pinto, Marchao; D. Silva, Nazareth, Capeta.

England team news

Chelsea duo Niamh Charles and Lauren James return to the squad, while Brighton forward Nikita Parris earns her first call-up since November 2022. Ella Toone also returns after missing the last camp, while youngsters Ruby Mace and Laura Blindkilde Brown have retained their places.

England are without several key players, with Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood all sidelined due to injury. Stanway's knee injury raises concerns over her availability for Euro 2025 this summer, adding to Wiegman's growing selection headaches.

Further disruptions came earlier this week when Lotte Wubben-Moy and Beth Mead withdrew from the squad before the team departed for Portugal. Aston Villa's Lucy Parker and Arsenal's Chloe Kelly were called up as replacements, having missed the original cut.

England predicted lineup vs Portugal

England predicted lineup vs Portugal (4-2-3-1): Earps; Bronze, Williamson, Bright, Charles; Walsh, Toone; Naz, Clinton, James; Russo.

Portugal vs England score prediction

England go into this match as clear favourites, given their pedigree on the international stage compared to a Portugal side still finding its feet at this level. However, the Lionesses' injury problems, particularly Stanway's absence in midfield, could make this a trickier test than expected.

Portugal showed their defensive resilience in the goal-less draw before the World Cup, and England will need to be sharper in possession to break them down. If Wiegman's side can settle into a rhythm, their quality in attack should be enough to secure a win and build some much-needed momentum.

With bigger tests ahead in the group, this is a game England cannot afford to slip up in. It may not be a free-scoring affair, but they should have just enough to take all three points.

Prediction: Portugal 1-2 England

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