Wales manager Gemma Grainger hopes to “utilise the opportunity” of playing Portugal in their final match before the Nations League campaign.
Wales have travelled to Guimaraes to take on the side ranked 10 places above them and heading for the World Cup.
Grainger’s side go into the contest off the back of a convincing 4-1 home win against Northern Ireland on Thursday.
“Portugal have a clear playing style and they will be a great test for us,” she told BBC Sport Wales.
Grainger added: “They are a great team, they haven’t looked back since they got into the European Championships last summer.
“They have built upon that and their qualification for the World Cup is a sign of that.”
Portugal were the final European team to secure a place at the World Cup having won their inter-confederation play-off group.
That opportunity could have been Wales’, however they fell at the final stage in Switzerland as they conceded in the dying seconds of extra time to lose 2-1.
Since that defeat, Grainger said the attitude in the camp has changed when going up against higher-ranked opposition.
“Since the end of the World Cup qualification campaign there has been a change in mentality because the margins are so fine,” she added.
“We know how small they are and we know we can compete and beat these teams.
“In the Nations League we will be playing teams like Portugal and ones higher ranked than them, so I really want to utilise this opportunity.”
‘Standard has been set against Northern Ireland’
Wales showed their clinical side in Thursday’s victory over Northern Ireland at Cardiff City Stadium.
Converting more chances has often been a target for Grainger, whose side had only scored more than one goal in the 13 games prior to Thursday.
But four from four different scorers was a massive positive for Wales as they prepare for the Nations League, and Grainger expects her side to maintain the same standards going forward.
“It has been a really good camp so far, it’s exactly what we wanted,” she said.
“Thursday’s game was a really positive performance, the gameplan was executed really well by the players.
“We want to make sure we are a team that creates chances and converts them.
“The standard has been set now in terms of conversion rate, and we will continue to work on creating those chances.”
Source – BBC Sport
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