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Portugal to shuffle the deck

Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari has promised to make changes to his side for Portugal's Group A game against Russia on Wednesday.

Changes due
The Brazilian is desperate for a win in Lisbon to revive the hosts' hopes of reaching the last eight, and said that he planned to make "some changes to the team for tomorrow's match", adding that they would "only be made public a few hours before kick-off". "I will change some players' positions and maybe some other things," he said.

Good state
The coach insisted that his players had recovered from the shock of losing their opening Group A game against Greece, saying: "The players are in a good mental state despite the defeat. The day after the match they had their families with them and it helped them to regain their focus. Today my players are in a good mood and you can be sure they will be even happier tomorrow."

Victory only
Scolari said that his squad were thinking only of victory in the tie at the Estádio da Luz. "We have only one thing to do - win tomorrow," he said. "It doesn't matter how many goals we score because it is all or nothing and we want to carry on in EURO 2004™. After 20 days together, I know my players better and am confident of what each of them can bring to the team."

Possible sacrifice
Meanwhile, midfield player Rui Costa admitted that his place in the starting lineup may go to Deco against Russia. "If the coach thinks that putting me on the bench is the best thing for the team, I will give all my support to Deco - he has always done the same when I have started games," Rui Costa said. "There has always been a good relationship between us and Deco is one of the best attacking midfield players in the world."

Sink or swim
Finally, defender Fernando Couto echoed his coach's sense of urgency, insisting there was no margin for error tomorrow. "EURO 2004™ is a difficult competition and there is no more room to make mistakes," he said. "Portugal have to think of this game as a quarter-final, because we cannot afford to lose another match until the end of the tournament."

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