Alanyaspor coach Joao Pereira highlighted Portugal's strong squad in the World Cup. Pereira stated that Portugal's group in the tournament does not matter, as his team can play against any opponent. Alanyaspor's Portuguese coach Pereira made statements about the World Cup. Pereira, who evaluated the World Cup, stated that Portugal's group in the tournament does not matter. Pereira, who emphasized that Portugal's team can play against any opponent, said, "The group does not matter. Whether it's Argentina or another team, there's no change for Portugal. Because we have a very good team and very good players." Pereira, who drew attention to Portugal's player quality, said: "Joao Cancelo won the championship in Barcelona. Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva are in the squad. I can count 20 players who can play in the world championship. Even two teams from Portugal can be formed. There are very important players in the squad of the best teams in the world. Vitinha, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain, Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes, and Goncalo Ramos, who can be added to these names, are our players." ##### Further Reading › - "My favorite is France, my hidden favorite is Spain and Portugal" Pereira noted that the World Cup format is different from the league marathon and that the match-by-match progress is important. Pereira, who started the tournament with 3 matches in the group, said, "If you lose one of these matches, you immediately think 'we're eliminated.' However, I think Portugal has a big chance. Of course, I know that this process will be very difficult." Pereira also opened up about the championship candidates and hidden favorites in the tournament, saying, "In the World Cup, there are teams like Argentina and Brazil that are always natural favorites. However, my favorite in this tournament is France. Because they have a very good team and I think they will do very well this season. My hidden favorite is Spain and Portugal. Both teams have very good players." Pereira also mentioned that their team, Alanyaspor, will participate in the tournament with Elia Meschack from the Democratic Republic of Congo and will compete with Portugal in the same group. He hopes that Portugal will finish first and Congo will finish second in the group to advance to the next round. Pereira also mentioned that a similar scenario occurred in the previous World Cup in Qatar, where Argentine players gave their all for Lionel Messi. He said that a similar scenario will occur in this tournament for Cristiano Ronaldo. ##### Further Reading › - "Ümit Akdağ can be a good option for the national team" Pereira, who drew attention to the performance of Alanyaspor's young defender Ümit Akdağ, continued his statements, saying, "Turkey has a very good coach and he took the team to the World Cup. In my opinion, if I were to choose, I think Ümit Akdağ could be a good option for the national team. However, I cannot make a comment like 'he must go' or 'he must not go.' If the national team coach calls me, I will share my opinions about my player with him."