It didn’t get any better because SC Braga fell by the wayside, as expected, after a 0-4 draw in the first leg. Besides, everything that could go well for Portugal did. However, reaching the sixth position is still a very complicated task.
Portugal has lost another team, but they are maintaining that three out of six. Benfica and Porto in the Champions League, Sporting in the Europa League are the banners capable of giving Portugal a place at the top until the end of the season, which will have an impact on European arrivals in 2024/2025 – in 2023/24, whatever happens, three of them will remain with access to the UEFA Champions League, plus three in the other two competitions.
the biggest victory It was in contention, however, that France and the Netherlands were reduced to two teams each. The French lost to Rennes, Nantes and Monaco in the Europa League, with Ajax and PSV falling to the Dutch. This leaves, respectively, PSG (0-1 against Bayern) and Nice (Conference League), as well as Feyenoord (Europa League) and AZ Alkmaar (Conference League).
The distance for the Dutch is 2.58 ranking points, which makes the job very difficult. Even if Feyenoord and Alverick go down next, with two defeats each, Portugal will essentially need five qualifiers, counting wins in each..
For example, if Benfica and Porto continue, one point is achieved: two points for winning the match, plus an extra point for qualification, which will award six points, in the sum of both, divided by six (the number of teams Portugal has entered in European competitions). The same formula works for Sporting, so it will be essential for Portuguese teams to be able to go further in early March, so that hope of a sixth-place finish remains alive.
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