Fernando Santos has faith that Portugal's squad will be able to cope without Cristiano Ronaldo for a second-successive game when they face England at Wembley on Thursday.
Ronaldo missed Sunday's 3-0 victory over Norway due to his participation in Real Madrid's Champions League triumph over rivals Atletico Madrid in Milan - the superstar forward scoring the decisive penalty to seal their 11th title in Europe's premier competition.
Central defender Pepe was also in action for Zinedine Zidane's men and he too will not feature against England as the pair are given time off ahead of Portugal's Euro 2016 opener against Iceland on June 14.
"I'm absolutely not worried about Cristiano," he said after the Norway win. "He will be here next weekend with his team-mates with a strong desire to help the team.
"I do not know why we are always talking about Ronaldo, or why people say we are dependent on Ronaldo.
"Everyone recognises that he is an important part of this team, but Portugal has to believe it can win without him."
Thursday's friendly is the first since Hodgson whittled his selection down to the final 23, the England boss choosing to overlook Andros Townsend and Danny Drinkwater for the squad.
Tottenham quartet Harry Kane, Danny Rose, Kyle Walker and Dele Alli all sat out Friday's 2-1 win over Australia, along with goalkeeper Joe Hart, so they are likely to be given time by Hodgson to maintain their fitness levels.
