Portuguese coach Antonio Oliveira is expected to rest midfielders Luis Figo and Rui Costa for Saturday's friendly against China in Macao, news agency Lusa reported on Friday.
"We are not obliged to come out at full strength and I don't think Figo is fit. He, like Rui Costa, has had a tough time," Lusa quoted Oliveira as saying in Macao, where the Portuguese squad is training.
According to press reports Figo -- FIFA player of the year in 2001 -- has been suffering from an injured right ankle.
He was taken off in the second half of last week's Champions League final after a lacklustre performance for Real Madrid against Bayer Leverkusen.
Playmaker Costa suffered a thigh injury in a Serie A game for his club AC Milan in April.
It was a frustrating season for Costa who broke a hand and arm in the season's first game against Brescia and later had an ankle problem.
"The World Cup only starts for us on June 5," Oliveira added in the former Portuguese colony. "With all due respect to China and the people of Macau, our aims do not include this match, which is just a friendly.
HISTORIC GAME
"That doesn't mean we are not very pleased and honoured to be playing this historic game, but are aware that it is just a warm-up," he said.
Oliveira said he would rotate as many players as possible in Saturday's game in which substitutions are unlimited.
"If we have the chance to use most of the players, then we shall do so, as the idea is for all to be fully fit by the first game," he said, referring to Portugal's Group D tie against the United States on June 5 in Suwon, South Korea.
Portugal will also play Poland and co-hosts South Korea in the opening phase.
Although Portugal qualified for the 2002 finals by winning a group that contained the Netherlands and Ireland, their warm-up campaign has been less spectacular.
They held Brazil to a 1-1 draw at home in their last friendly on April 17, and also drew 1-1 with Spain in February, but went down 4-1 to non-qualifiers Finland in March.
China, who are appearing in their first finals, have been drawn against Brazil, Costa Rica and Turkey in Group C. They play their first game against Costa Rica on June 4 in Kwangju.
Their Serbian-born coach Bora Milutinovic holds the record of having coached five different countries to qualify for five successive World Cup finals.
In 1986 he steered Mexico to the quarter-finals, in 1990 he was in charge of Costa Rica. Four years later he coached the United States to the second round where they lost 1-0 to Brazil and in France 98 he was in charge of Nigeria.
