Why isn’t Cristiano Ronaldo playing for Portugal against Scotland and is it anything to do with rape allegation?

CRISTIANO RONALDO may be considered the best player in the world, but Scotland fans will not be able to see him in action as their team face Portugal.

Coach Fernando Santos accepted his captain's request not to be selected for a second consecutive international break.

Why is Cristiano Ronaldo not playing against Scotland?

Ronaldo has already missed one international break, when Portugal faced Italy and Croatia in September, as he looked to recuperate following the World Cup.

The player has not retired and is believed to be looking to prolong his international career, but has opted not to play once again in this week's international break.

That meant he played no part in Portugal's 3-2 win in Poland and will not feature at Hampden Park either.

Boss Fernando Santos said: "After talking to the player, and after he moved to Juventus with all the processes of adaptation that entails, we understand it was best for him to not be present for these games."

He refused to be drawn on whether the rape allegations had anything to do with Ronaldo's decision, saying the matter was private and personal.

When does Scotland vs Portugal kick off?

This friendly encounter takes place on Sunday, October 14.

It will kick off at 5pm.

Which TV channel is Scotland vs Portugal on and can I live stream it?

This game will be shown live on Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting at 4.30pm.

Sky subscribers will be able to get this online and on the Sky Sports Mobile app.