Bernardo Silva says Portugal must shake off the media criticism and find stability to win the World Cup – and Thursday’s match against Croatia is the first hurdle.
National team boss Roberto Martínez remains a polarising figure among Portuguese fans and pundits, with many doubting his ability to lead a highly talented team to success. The performances in the group stage have only reinforced these criticisms – Portugal won only one of three matches against Uzbekistan, DR Congo and Colombia.
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Silva, who will play for Real Madrid next season after leaving Manchester City, has lost his place in midfield but has no intention of causing unrest.
“I understand the question, but it’s not very relevant. We are a group and we are here for the same thing. We all have ambitions to play, but the coach has a difficult job. In my career, I’ve been through this before. Of course I want to be a part of it and I think I can help – whether I’m playing five minutes or I’m in the dressing room,” he said.
“It’s a game that involves a lot of passion – even more so for the national team. I have a lot of experience and am used to it. Don’t make it a roller coaster – be as stable as possible.
“The World Championships are a difficult competition for everyone. There are things we need to improve, and criticism is part of that. We all do our best. We are in a good position to continue, and we are very confident that things will go well.
Silva also emphasized the importance of control – both on and off the pitch.
“It is undoubtedly important to control the game with the ball – something we missed in the last game. We have players with incredible talent. Finding the balance is crucial, but we must also not lose emotional control. We have to be a team that creates danger without losing control of the game,” he added.
Silva may have to settle for a place on the bench again tomorrow, as Martínez will have to squeeze more world-class midfielders into the starting line-up.
Croatia – aging, but dangerous
Croatia is not blessed with such riches, but finished second in Group L – after beating Ghana and Panama, losing to England in their opening match. Their recent World Cup results compare well to most other nations – silver in 2018 and bronze in 2022.
But an aging team, led by 40-year-old Luka Modrić, seems past its best.
World Cup 2026: Team news for Portugal vs Croatia
PSG midfielder João Neves is likely to be brought back into the starting eleven after being benched against Colombia. Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić has abandoned the three-man defence he used against England and will continue with a back four.
Portugal vs Croatia: Predicted line-ups for the 2026 World Cup
Portugal (4-3-3): Costa – Cancelo, Veiga, Dias, Mendes – Fernandes, Vitinha, Neves – Félix, Neto, Ronaldo
Croatia (4-3-3): Livaković – Stanišić, Šutalo, Pongračić, Perišić – Modrić, Kovačić, P. Sučić – Vlašić, Baturina, Budimir
World Cup 2026: Key figures for Portugal vs Croatia
- Portugal have progressed despite failing to win two games for the fourth time in their last five World Cup group games – and were only knocked out in 2014.
- The Seleção had at least 60 per cent possession in their last 12 games – before they had 45 per cent against Colombia, their lowest since the Nations League final against Spain in June 2025.
- Against Colombia, Vitinha became the first Portuguese player with 100 percent passing accuracy in a World Cup match with at least 20 pass attempts (54 out of 54).
- Cristiano Ronaldo’s 25 World Cup appearances are the second most ever – only Germany’s Lothar Matthäus has more (28).
- The Al-Nassr striker has been caught offside 11 times in the last two World Cup tournaments – four times more than any other player (Kylian Mbappé and Luis Díaz have 7).
- Croatia have reached the knockout stages for the fourth time – they have done so on all three occasions (2018, 2022, 2026), after only once in their first four appearances (1998).
- Petar Sučić (22 years, 245 days) became the second-youngest Croatia scorer at the World Cup, behind Joško Gvardiol against Morocco in 2022.
- Luka Modrić (40 years, 291 days) is the oldest player to assist in the World Cup since 1966.
- Nikola Vlašić has scored in three of his last four starts for Croatia.
- Ivan Perišić has started all 20 of his World Cup matches – only Paolo Maldini (23), Diego Maradona (21) and Uwe Seeler (21) have more appearances with 100 percent starts.
- Croatia’s average age against Ghana (30 years, 94 days) was their second highest in a World Cup match – only the bronze medal final team in 1998 (30 years, 126 days) was older.
World Cup 2026: Portugal vs Croatia prediction
This seems like an excellent opportunity for Portugal to finally secure a statement win – against a team that is on the decline.
Prediction: Portugal 3-0 Croatia
