Cristiano Ronaldo's fiery row with Andy Robertson as duo prepare for Nations League battle

Liverpool’s Andy Robertson is set to come head-to-head with Cristiano Ronaldo in a fiery encounter on Tuesday, reigniting a feud that dates back to their heated clash during Liverpool’s 5-0 demolition of Manchester United in October 2021. Ronaldo had a day to forget as his team was left in tatters by their fierce rivals.

The Portuguese icon found himself at the centre of controversy when he lashed out at Curtis Jones, prompting a livid response from Robertson who charged towards Ronaldo and angrily confronted him. Despite the tension, Ronaldo escaped with just a yellow card, with commentator Gary Neville admitting: “His [Ronaldo’s] head’s gone here.”

The Reds secured a resounding victory, and Robertson didn’t miss the chance to taunt the United fans, blowing kisses at them as the match concluded. The two players are now poised for another showdown as Scotland, led by Robertson, host Portugal in a Nations League fixture on Tuesday night.

While Scotland has yet to secure a win in the competition, Portugal are aiming to maintain their winning streak.

The squad trained at St Mirren’s ground on Monday afternoon, fresh from Ronaldo’s goal-scoring triumph over Poland. However, Roberto Martinez has indicated that the star player will not be in the starting lineup at Hampden Park.

Martinez praised Ronaldo’s condition despite his age: “I don’t think a player’s age matters. Cristiano doesn’t work or play like a 39-year-old. We work with each player taking into account how he feels. Cristiano has been very good.”

The manager also discussed the challenges of preparing for back-to-back fixtures: “I think the difficulty here is how to prepare for the two games, how to recover the players. The decision was to call up 26 players so that we have a team to start the game, others who can come on during the game and others who can come on in the second game.”

He expressed confidence in Ronaldo’s participation: “I have no doubt that Cristiano can be involved in this match, after having played 60 in the first game. It’s a difficult environment. They’ve already beaten the European champions. We have a lot of respect for Scotland, but we believe in what we can do.”

Martinez outlined the team’s objectives and readiness: “Four wins in four games is the goal. I’ve already spoken about the challenge of playing two away games in 72 hours and it’s an important challenge. We have 26 very focused players, plus one training session and good weather, which we didn’t expect. The focus and work so far has been very good.”