Cristiano Ronaldo misses Portugal training two days before facing Denmark

Nineteen players came out on the Eleda Stadion pitch in Malmö on Tuesday evening. Cristiano Ronaldo, 41, spoke briefly with Jorge Jesus in the tunnel, coffee in hand, then went back to the hotel before the session started. The Portuguese federation put the early exit down to individual indoor work, saying the Swedish stadium did not have the right equipment; RMC Sport found the explanation “surprising, to say the least”. No injury has been officially reported, and João Félix and Francisco Conceição, also absent, were simply being rested.

In Oslo, a bench unseen since 2008

On Sunday at Ullevaal, Portugal beat Norway 2-1 without Ronaldo playing a minute. He had not stayed on the bench for a competitive match since June 2008, a 0-2 group-stage defeat by Switzerland at the Euro. In the previous match against Wales, Jesus had taken him off during the game. After the final whistle he left the stadium without acknowledging the Oslo supporters, and his only word since is a photograph captioned with a Portugal flag and a heart.

Jorge Jesus: “I will know when I speak to him”

Speaking to Kicker after the match, the Portugal coach said he would sit down with his striker. On the player’s mood in Oslo: “I cannot read his thoughts, but I will know when I speak to him.” On his role: “It is not because he did not play today that I am not counting on him.”

Ronaldo has 234 caps and 146 goals for Portugal, and Jesus, 72, played the situation down: “I talk with Ronaldo every day, every minute,” he told L’Équipe on Tuesday. According to L’Équipe and RMC Sport, a meeting with the federation president and the coach is said to have convinced him to carry on until the end of the calendar year. Jesus faces the press again on Wednesday, the day before the game.

A trip to Denmark, with him or without him

On Thursday, Portugal play away to Denmark on the third Nations League matchday, top of the group with six points out of six. Bruno Fernandes, who missed the win in Oslo, trained again on Tuesday. Nobody has confirmed Ronaldo’s involvement: Kicker reads a near-confirmed return in the coach’s words, and the federation has validated nothing. At 2.10 with Bwin ES, the market gives Portugal the win one match in two, the same price as at the opening: Ronaldo’s week has not moved the line yet. The team sheet on Thursday brings the answer, and the full analysis is in our Denmark v Portugal preview. 18+. Only bet what you can afford to lose.