Cristiano Ronaldo has sent a message of encouragement to his Portugal teammates ahead of their clash with Armenia. The “European Selecao” currently lead Group F ahead of their final World Cup qualifiers, but their defeat to Ireland on November 13 means they must win if they are to secure a ticket to the United States next summer. Before the match, Ronaldo posted on Instagram to boost the team’s morale.

On his personal page, he wrote: “Go team! Today and forever! For Portugal and for our flag!”

Ronaldo was sent back to his club last weekend ahead of the game against Armenia. The 40-year-old was sent off in a 2-0 defeat to Ireland, while Troy Parrott’s double secured a historic win for the Boys in Green. It was a frustrating evening at the Aviva Stadium for Ronaldo, who was sent off in the 60th minute for elbowing defender Dara O’Shea, the first straight red card of his international career. Ronaldo is suspended for the game against Armenia, and with a straight red card at international level, he risks missing the opening game of the 2026 World Cup if Portugal qualify automatically, avoiding the play-offs.

Tellingly, Ronaldo was sent off just days after he assured Ireland he would be “a good boy” on his return: “I really like the fans here. The support they give their team is fantastic. For me, it’s always a pleasure to play here. I just hope they don’t boo me too much tomorrow, I promise I’ll try to be a good boy,” Ronaldo said before the match.

In Ronaldo’s absence, Goncalo Ramos is expected to lead Portugal’s attack against Armenia. The PSG striker has come off the bench in all five qualifying matches but has yet to score. However, the 24-year-old has a great opportunity to “open his account” in Porto, as Armenia have lost four of their five matches and conceded 10 goals, including a 0-5 defeat to Portugal in September.

Without Ronaldo, coach Roberto Martinez welcomes the return of another attacking star. Bruno Fernandes, who was suspended for the defeat to Ireland, will start against Armenia. Despite the underdogs, Martinez still plans to field his strongest line-up. Portugal lead Group F but the gap is just two points after a 2-2 draw with Hungary last month and a 2-0 defeat to Ireland recently.

In the other Group F match, Ireland faced Hungary with the two teams separated by just one point going into the final match. Two consecutive wins over Armenia and Portugal have put Ireland back in the play-off race, but they must win to overtake Hungary for second place.

As for Ronaldo, he hopes to quickly put the disappointment of the last match behind him and return to play for Al-Nassr next weekend when they meet Al-Khaleej. Under Jorge Jesus, Al-Nassr are off to a perfect start in the Saudi Pro League with 8 wins out of 10. Ronaldo is the main factor with 9 goals and is only behind his compatriot Joao Felix, who has scored 10 goals. Meanwhile, Al-Khaleej are 6th and have won 2/4 away matches since the start of the season.