Cristiano Ronaldo is poised to make a timely return as Portugal take on the Republic of Ireland in their last friendly match before the commencement of the World Cup at the MetLife Stadium.

With a host of superstars already ruled out of the World Cup which is set to kick off in São Paulo in three days, there were rumors that football’s hottest property Cristinao Ronaldo would not be able to take part in the illustrious tournament.

The talismanic forward was sidelined for a few matches towards the end of the season, but was present as Real Madrid secured their 10th Champions League title at the expense of Atletico Madrid.

 

And even though the Ballon D’or winner was termed a doubt to be able to participate in the biggest footballing event, Portugal coach Paulo Bento remains confident that Cristiano Ronaldo as well as midfielder Raul Meireles and defender Pepe will make a swift return to the side.

"My confidence in the medical department of the national team is 100 per cent," the 44-year-old told reporters. "We are pleased with the progress of Ronaldo.

"With the exception of Beto, all of the players are training without limitations. Pepe and Raul Meireles also trained today.

"To me there is nothing more important than the players' health. This is something that we always consider and we take our decisions bearing this in mind.

"All three [Ronaldo, Meireles and Pepe] are different injury situations. In the case of Raul, he played until the end of the league season.

"Ronaldo's case is somewhat different. It had to do with what happened in the Champions League final.

"Pepe's case happened before the Champions League final. They are different situations and we are trying to address all of them."

The Selecção have not put reassuring performances in their recent matches and will be desperate to have all three of their star players back in the side. Their match against Greece on the 31st of May ended in a frustrating stalemate as Paulo Bento’s men failed to make an impression.

Their last outing against Mexico on the other hand resulted in a 1-0 victory, courtesy of a last gasp winner from Fenerbahçe  centre half Bruno Alves, who headed home Joao Moutinho’s free kick in the 93rd minute to earn his side a morale boosting victory. However Paulo Bento and co will have to bear in mind that they will have to produce much better performances if they are to have a successful world cup campaign, with Portugal set to go against World Cup favorites Germany in their opening match.

The match against Ireland will provide Portugal with an ideal opportunity to boost their morale. Their counterparts are on a dismal run having not recorded a victory in their last five matches but have fared well against World Cup opponents and will be looking to pull off an upset at the MetLife Stadium.

Martin O'Neill’s men produced a disciplined performance as they held Italy to a 0-0 draw on the 31st of May at the Craven Cottage. The Green Army followed their commendable performance against Italy with an even better one against Costa Rica three days back. Kevin Doyle opened up the scoring for the boys in green in the 12th minute but his effort was leveled by Celso Borges’ penalty in the 64th minute.

Ireland captain Robbie Keane had a glorious opportunity to win the match for his side, but his penalty was saved by substitute goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton who produced another stellar save from Shane Long’s strike to ensure the scores remained level at 1-1.

Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores

Watch Ireland Republic vs Portugal live on Tuesday, June 10, 2014:

In Canada at 20:00 ET on beIN Sports Play Canada, beIN Sports Canada, RTP Internacional

In US at 20:00 ET on beIN Sports Play, beIN Sports en Español, beIN Sports USA, Univision Deportes, RTP Internacional

On Wednesday:

In UK at 01:00 BST on RTP Internacional, Premier Sports

Fans in Australia can catch the action live on ESPN2 Australia

For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the Ireland Republic vs Portugal match page.