Wales Faces Portugal in Nations League A Clash

Wales step into the deep end straight away.

Craig Bellamy’s first Nations League A assignment takes his side to Lisbon on Thursday, 24 September, to face Portugal and the enduring force of Cristiano Ronaldo. No gentle warm‑up, no easing into the campaign. This is straight into the noise, the heat and the scrutiny.

And Bellamy has to do it without some of his key attacking options.

Harry Wilson, Nathan Broadhead and Karl Darlow have all withdrawn through injury, stripping Wales of creativity, depth and experience in one sweep. Promising young defender Dylan Lawlor is also missing, a blow to the long‑term picture as much as the immediate one.

There is, at least, one significant boost. Captain Ben Davies is back and available, bringing authority, calm and structure to a back line that will be tested from the first whistle. His presence alone changes the mood. With Ronaldo lurking, you want your organiser on the pitch, not in the stands.

Up front, the story feels very different. It’s raw, it’s risky, and it’s intriguing. Uncapped forwards Cian Ashford and Joe Taylor are both in the frame, each offering Bellamy a different kind of gamble. Do you throw youthful energy and fearlessness into a stadium where many established players have shrunk, or lean on what little experience you have left and try to suffocate the game?

That’s the puzzle Bellamy must solve before kick‑off. Shape the system. Choose the structure. Decide who lives with the ball and who lives without it.

And it sparks the obvious question: if you were in his shoes, standing in that away dressing room in Lisbon, what would you do?

What formation would you trust to keep Portugal at arm’s length yet still land a punch of your own? Would you build around Davies in a back three, or go bold with a front line that includes Ashford or Taylor from the start? Who makes your XI to stare down Ronaldo and a Portugal side that rarely give second chances?

Pick your shape. Name your team. Then stand back and ask yourself: would that XI be enough under the lights in Lisbon?