Jordan James excited to face former Wolves midfielder on international duty

Wolves midfielder Jordan James insists depleted Wales can be a match for Portugal’s “ridiculous” squad and a midfield often labelled the best in the world.

Wales start their Nations League A campaign in Lisbon on Thursday, with Cristiano Ronaldo set to lead the Portugal line and aiming to add to his tally of 146 international goals at the age of 41.

A star-studded squad also includes Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo, Pedro Neto and Ruben Dias, as well as the Paris St Germain trio Joao Neves, Nuno Mendes and former Wolves man Vitinha.

But James is relishing getting up close and personal with Champions League-winning midfielders Vitinha and Neves at the Estadio Jose Alvalade.

“They are among the best players in the world – you can’t really sugarcoat it,” said James, 22, now on loan at Wolves from French club Rennes. “They have Champions League winners and world-class quality across the pitch.

“I was fortunate enough to play against several of them when I was at Rennes, particularly against PSG, so I know first hand what top players they are.

“Vitinha is one of the best midfielders in the world. Unbelievable technically, very tidy on the ball and capable of unlocking a low block.

“Joao Neves is a similar profile to Vitinha, very, very good technically. But none of these players scare me. They’re human, they only have two legs and they make mistakes.

“Our job is to identify those mistakes and punish them.”

James was still a teenager when Wales beat Croatia 2-1 at Cardiff in October 2023.

Croatia’s much-vaunted midfield that night included Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic.

“It was a breakthrough game for me,” said James. “It was a fantastic night for me personally and for my family.

“It put my name in a different bracket, how people perceived me. I still have Kovacic’s match shirt hanging up in my room.

“It raised my profile. To compete against the best at such a young age was a proud moment and hopefully there are many more to come.”

Wales head to Lisbon deprived of regular starters Karl Darlow, Dylan Lawlor, Joe Rodon and Harry Wilson.

Nathan Broadhead and Cardiff pair Rubin Colwill and Isaak Davies are also injured and Dragons boss Craig Bellamy called up League One trio Charlie Savage, David Cornell and Joe Taylor on Monday.

James said: “Players like Joe have played so many games for Wales and understand what it takes on these massive occasions. It’s a big miss.

“But we have players who can step in without hesitation. It provides an opportunity for others to show what they can do on the big stage.

“You can’t write us off. We have a puncher’s chance and we’re going there to cause an upset.

“We’re used to being the underdogs and hopefully we can use that to our advantage. Playing Portugal is where we want to be, and we will relish it.”

Wales also have home and away games against Denmark and host Norway during this extended international break.