Veteran central defender Pepe drops from Portugal squad because of injury

By PTI

LISBON: Veteran central defender Pepe will not play for Portugal in the Nations League because of an injury, the Portuguese soccer federation said.

The federation said the decision was made after doctors evaluated Pepe following his arrival at the team’s training camp this week. However, it did not mention what his injury was.

The 39-year-old Pepe last played with Porto in the team’s 4-0 loss at home to Club Brugge in the group stage of the Champions League on September 13. The federation also did not say if coach Fernando Santos would call a replacement for Pepe.

João Félix and Bernardo Silva practiced separately as Portugal began its preparations, but they were expected to rejoin the rest of the group soon.

Portugal, winner of the inaugural edition of the Nations League in 2019, trails Spain by one point entering the final two games in Group 2, at the Czech Republic on Saturday and against Spain at home three days later. Only the group winners will advance to the Final Four.

<br /> LISBON: Veteran central defender Pepe will not play for Portugal in the Nations League because of an injury, the Portuguese soccer federation said.</p> <p>The federation said the decision was made after doctors evaluated Pepe following his arrival at the team’s training camp this week. However, it did not mention what his injury was.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.83 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.83 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The 39-year-old Pepe last played with Porto in the team’s 4-0 loss at home to Club Brugge in the group stage of the Champions League on September 13. The federation also did not say if coach Fernando Santos would call a replacement for Pepe.</p> <p>João Félix and Bernardo Silva practiced separately as Portugal began its preparations, but they were expected to rejoin the rest of the group soon.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.83 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad241053 " id="quads-ad241053" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.83 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7550963679842137" data-ad-slot="3250057321"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Portugal, winner of the inaugural edition of the Nations League in 2019, trails Spain by one point entering the final two games in Group 2, at the Czech Republic on Saturday and against Spain at home three days later. Only the group winners will advance to the Final Four.<br />