Freire and Fernandes predict decisive U-21 clash against Bulgaria

Coach Luís Freire and captain Mateus Fernandes previewed a demanding clash of the Portuguese Under‑21 national team against Bulgaria, deemed decisive for qualification to the 2027 European Championship, while the team leads the stage with a five‑point advantage.

Luís Freire, National Under‑21 Coach, and Mateus Fernandes, team captain, gave their preview of the match, highlighting the motivation and preparation of the squad for an intense challenge.

Environment and preparation

Freire praised the good atmosphere at the camp, noting that the journey was long but already expected: “Yes, it was a long trip, but we already knew it would be like that. The group is fine, we worked well at the City of Football…,” he highlighted the energy, the willingness to work and the joy of all the players.

Opponent analysis and demands

Regarding Bulgaria, the coach warned about their fierce style: “Bulgaria is a very aggressive, intense, hard‑working team on the pitch, that is good on the counter‑attack, but they also defend well, they haven’t conceded many goals.” He reinforced that Portugal must be equally aggressive, intense and strong in duels.

Freire kept a strict focus on tomorrow’s victory, labeling it a “key match” for qualification, although he acknowledges it will not be the only decisive one.

He also highlighted the defensive record of not conceding any goals so far, attributing it to the collective work, consistency and solidarity of all the players.

Mateus Fernandes expressed enthusiasm about returning to the national team: “It’s always good to come back to Portugal, to play with people I grew up with, learned with and had a lot of fun. It’s a fantastic group on and off the pitch.”

The captain highlighted the easy integration of the new footballers, stating that, being the same age, the conversations are similar and the team and staff welcomed them very well.

Fernandes analyzed Bulgaria’s strengths, such as their effectiveness on the counter‑attack and the height of their players, but insisted that the most important thing is to focus on ourselves.

He also reflected on the past two years, describing them as the best of his life, and took a cautious approach to the qualification: “Now we have this game, we want to play a good match… and we will go step by step.”

Portugal leads the qualification phase with a five‑point advantage and, after the clash in Bulgaria, will still face Gibraltar and the Czech Republic.