Paulo Bernardo has shared his optimism ahead of Portugal Under-21s’ crunch clash with Croatia tonight.

The midfielder rejoined Celtic on a permanent basis in the summer for £3.5 million and has put in a string of impressive performances so far this season, including a dominant display in the recent Glasgow derby.

Arriving on an initial loan deal last summer from Benfica, the Portuguese starlet returned to Glasgow on a five-year contract and is set to play a pivotal role in Brendan Rodgers’ midfield following Matt O’Riley’s departure to Brighton.

Read more:

Portugal Under-21s face a must-win game away to Croatia this evening, requiring three points to remain top of Group G in Euro 2025 qualifying. Speaking from his international camp, Bernardo expressed his optimism ahead of the tie.

He said: “They have to play to win, and here in the national team we always play to win. I think it’s going to be a good game of football, in which both teams will want to win.

“We know that because we’re playing away, because the Croatian team has made a lot of changes and has a new coach, that it’s going to be a different game and probably a lot more difficult. I think they’ll be a bit more aggressive at home than they were in Faro, but we have to win the game and we’ll do our best to achieve that.”

He continued: “We’ve been improving with every game. The team has changed since the last European Championship and the first few games are always a bit more difficult because the players don’t have any routine. Now it’s getting easier and the group has become more and more united. We can only improve and we’re going to give a positive response in the next game.”