Cristiano Ronaldo starts tonight for Portugal but continues to divide opinion on whether his national team would be better off without him. The 39-year-old great was criticised for his performances at the European Championship after Portugal crashed out in the group stages.

Roberto Martinez has stood by the forward, though, as Ronaldo starts at Hampden tonight. “Well, obviously there are two aspects. I manage the Cristiano Ronaldo that is trying to work hard to help the team to win tomorrow,” he said this week.

“When you arrive in a stadium, in a place like this, I think you get to know the iconic figure and the career of a player that is unique. There is not another player with more than 200 caps at international level as an example, the number of goals that he’s scored, the trophies that he’s achieved.

“So I think for me it’s very easy to manage a player that can help the team to win tomorrow. All the rest is something for all of us to enjoy because it’s a unique case and I think we can all learn from being close to him.”

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez hailed his squad’s improved depth, competitiveness, and preparation following Euro 2024 after they strolled past Poland on Saturday to maintain their perfect Nations League start.

Portugal dominated Poland as Bernardo Silva and Cristiano Ronaldo put the visitors 2-0 up at the break. Poland midfielder Piotr Zielinski pulled a goal back, but Jan Bednarek’s own goal made it 3-1 to the visitors.

Portugal exited the European Championship in a penalty shootout defeat to France in the quarter-finals, but Martinez said their focus was now firmly on building towards the World Cup in 2026.

“We have more players (now), the competitiveness for what we are working on is growing, we are an even better prepared team after the European Championship,” Martinez told RTP3.

“Our focus and total objective is the World Cup. I am happy, the attitude was incredible, the players’ personality was fantastic in a difficult stadium. For us it is a very important performance.

“We don’t want to concede goals, but the performance was very good. We’re seeing new debuts, new players, who are coming into the group in a natural way.”

Leading the line, meanwhile, for Portugal is Cristiano Ronaldo, with Roberto Martinez true to his word and unconcerned about starting the striker in back-to-back games even with a reasonably tight turnaround. There is some shuffling of the pieces around him - Diogo Jota, Vitinha, Joao Palhinha and Francisco Conceicao amid a raft of changes.

So just the one change from Steve Clarke as he sticks with a relatively settled side. Che Adams replaces Lyndon Dykes up top.

Scotland XI: Gordon; Ralston, Souttar, Hanley, Robertson; Gilmour, McLean; Doak, McTominay, Christie; Adams

Portugal XI: Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Silva, Mendes; Palhinha, Fernandes, Vitinha; Jota, Ronaldo, Conceicao

Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play in Scotland for the first time since 2008, in his first appearance at Hampden Park. The 39-year-old faced Celtic in Glasgow twice with Manchester United (United did not win either game).

Ronaldo scored his 133rd international goal in Saturday’s 3-1 win over Poland and scored a late winner against Scotland in the return fixture last month.

12 October (A): 1-2 vs Croatia (Nations League)

8 September (A): 1-2 vs Portugal (Nations League)

5 September (H): 2-3 vs Poland (Nations League)

23 June: 0-1 vs Hungary (Euro 2024)

19 June: 1-1 vs Switzerland (Euro 2024)

14 June: 1-5 vs Germany (Euro 2024)

19 November (H): 3-3 vs Norway (Euro qualifying)

16 November (A): 2-2 vs Georgia (Euro qualifying)

12 October (A): 0-2 vs Spain (Euro qualifying)

Ryan Christie shot the disciplined visitors ahead in the 33rd minute from a tight angle before striker Igor Matanovic levelled three minutes later.

Steve Clarke’s side came under increasing pressure after the break and eventually succumbed in the 70th minute of the League A Group 1 encounter at Stadion Maksimir when Andrej Kramaric headed the home side in front.

However, in a dramatic finale, Adams, who replaced Lyndon Dykes after the Scots fell behind, had the ball in the net in the fifth minute of added time, only for VAR to disallow the effort for offside, dealing another blow to the visitors.

“The disappointment is massive. You get that high at the end when you think you have a deserved draw and that is taken away by VAR,” Clarke said.

“The performance was really good. I thought we were brave with the ball. We tried to play, tried to create chances. On another night we would’ve got what we deserved.

“A full squad fit and healthy would be a help.”

A Portugal win would mean Scotland - with just one victory in their last 15 matches - have lost five in a row for the first time in their history, but Roberto Martinez has no doubt that Steve Clarke can turn things round in the longer term.

“Absolutely, I have no doubts,” he said. “It is a difficult press conference for me to show sympathy when tomorrow I want to win the game. But Steve Clarke is building something very special.

“He already achieved a very successful team, qualified for the European Championship, and now it feels that it is almost a new cycle. And the results will come if the performances stay at this level.”

Roberto Martinez has no worries about pitching 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo into his second away match in the space of 72 hours when Portugal face Scotland at Hampden on Tuesday.

The Al-Nassr forward scored his 133rd international goal in Saturday evening’s 3-1 Nations League win over Poland in Warsaw - a match in which he played just over an hour.

Despite Ronaldo being less than four months shy of his 40th birthday, Martinez is comfortable with unleashing him for what will be the first Hampden outing of his distinguished career.

“I think the age of a player doesn’t come into play,” said Portugal boss Martinez. “Ronaldo doesn’t work as a 39-year-old player. He doesn’t play certainly as a 39-year-old player. I think we are assessing every player and how they feel. Cristiano has been working really well in this camp.

“I have no doubt that Cristiano after 60 minutes (on Saturday) can be involved in the second game. I don’t know if he can start or if he can finish the game, but he can certainly be involved as he showed in the last camp (when starting the first game and then coming on in the second).”