PORTOGALLO – GHANA | Thursday 5pm
An altogether affordable group for Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, although within Group H there are some selections to be taken with caution and not to be underestimated in the slightest. The direct competitor for the first place is Uruguay, which is perhaps a step below the Lusitanians – on the whole more complete – but has in its squad elements of the highest level but above all of great international experience. Then we have South Korea and Ghana, two potential pitfalls, especially if taken underhand, but in any case within the reach of CR7 and his teammates. Portugal’s main ‘opponent’, it would be said, is Portugal itself: a team that has quality and technique in abundance but that too often tends to mirror itself a little too much.
MMoreover, this time there is the enigma regarding the condition – more psychological than physical – of the now former Manchester United striker, who will play this World Cup as a free agent. Just yesterday, in fact, the Red Devils announced the consensual termination, thus putting an end to weeks of controversy, theatrics and vitriolic interviews. Ronaldo now wants to concentrate solely on the field, knowing that this is probably his last chance to take part in a World Cup. His Portugal side needed to go through the play-offs last March to snatch one of the last tickets for Qatar, but basically missed a couple of games in 2022, which cost them the Nations League Final Four. Fernando Santos, the historic selector of the Seleção das Quinas (with whom he won Euro 2016 and the 2019 Nations League), meanwhile, has already had important answers in the friendly against Nigeria, overwhelmed 4-0.
The World Cup debut will be against Ghana, who return to play in the final phase of a World Cup eight years after their last participation. Otto Addo is on the bench but we are light years away from the team that finished in the top eight in 2010 in South Africa. The Black Stars, however, arrive at this match with confidence: a few days ago they beat a very respectable selection like the Swiss one in a friendly match with a net 2-0.
Portugal-Ghana: the latest line-up news
Ghanaian players’ jubilation
A week ago Ronaldo did not take part in the friendly against Nigeria due to a gastrointestinal problem but his presence in the debut match against Ghana is out of the question. He will be supported by several quality players such as Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and Milan’s Leao. On the other hand, André Silva and Joao Felix will be on the bench, but they are very good replacements. Ballot between the posts: Diogo Costa seems to have a slight advantage over Roma’s Rui Patricio. Fernando Santos is expected to field a four-man defence, consisting of Cancelo, Pepe – the latter recovered – Ruben Dias and Nuno Mendes.
On the other side, Addo will use the 4-2-3-1, whose offensive terminal is Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams. In the back three, the coach relies on the Ayew brothers, André and Jordan, and the young and talented Kudus, the Ajax jewel. In the midfield, Thomas Partey, Arsenal midfielder and one of the stars of this national team, will take his place.
The Prediction
Like almost all African national teams, Ghana will rely almost exclusively on the physicality of their players and the organisation of their game, trying to ‘dirty’ Portugal’s dribbling. The Lusitanians, however, appear healthy and above all, they concede few goals: in the last six matches they have collected four clean sheets. It will be a tough match for CR7 and his teammates – like any self-respecting debut – and one that could go downhill as soon as they manage to find the first goal. A win for them is likely and it is not out of the question that Portugal will also keep their goal unbeaten.
Portugal-Ghana’s likely line-up
- PORTOGALLO (4-3-3): Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Nuno Mendes; Ruben Neves, William Carvalho, Bruno Fernandes; Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, Leao.
- GHANA (4-2-3-1): Ati-Zigi; Lamptey, Amartey, Salisu, Baba; Partey, Owusu; A. Ayew, Kudus, J. Ayew; Williams.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-0
