After a lacklustre World Cup opener, Portugal will be hoping to bounce back against Uzbekistan in Group K – and at the same time put all the noise surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo behind them.
It was far from jubilant when Portugal only managed a 1-1 draw against DR Congo in the opening match of the group stage. Joao Neves did give Portugal an early lead, but Yoane Wissa’s header equalised – and after that, it was the visitors who created the most chances to win.
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Portugal should win by big digits, but few believe it will happen with Cristiano Ronaldo as an anchor. – You can follow the match here on our Live service.
The match once again put the spotlight on Cristiano Ronaldo’s role in the attack. The 41-year-old became a peripheral figure and did not finish any of his three shots on goal. Nevertheless, Manchester City stopper Ruben Dias insists that the team will not be swayed by the criticism.
“The criticism doesn’t mean anything to us. It’s just noise – part of the competition,” Dias told the press.
“It always happens when you have a bad game. We block out unnecessary criticism. Cristiano is of course used to the pressure of the media – whether it’s at the club, in the national team or in the World Cup. This is a championship you only win by delivering the goods game by game.
Now awaits Uzbekistan – a team that had to endure a 3-1 loss to Colombia in their opening match. Expect a defensive and compact opponent that will do everything possible to curb Portugal’s attacking starry.
DR Congo showed just how it can be done: Frustrate Portugal, turn to quick counter-attacks and cause trouble. But Dias is confident that Roberto Martínez’s side have what it takes to break down a low-lying five-back line.
“I’ve played most of my club games against teams that line up with five at the back, so I have a very clear idea of how we should attack it,” says Dias.
“Respecting positional discipline becomes absolutely crucial in such matches. I think we have enough quality to make the difference – as long as we stand right and make the right choices.
Team news: Dias back – Uzbekistan without injury problems
Portugal hope Ruben Dias is ready to return after he had to sit out the opening match with a knee injury.
For Uzbekistan, there are no injuries to report after the loss against Colombia.
Predicted starting line-ups
Portugal (4-3-3): Costa – Cancelo, Araujo, Veiga, Mendes – Neves, Vitinha, Fernandes – Silva, Neto, Ronaldo
Uzbekistan (5-4-1): Yusupov – Khusanov, Abdullaev, Ashurmatov – Karimov, Mozgovoy, Shukurov, Nasrullaev – Fayzullayev, Urunov – Shomurodov
Key figures and history
- This is the first meeting between Portugal and Uzbekistan.
- Ronaldo has not scored in any of his last ten playoff games.
- The 41-year-old has also not scored a single goal without a penalty in his last 13 championship games.
- Only once before have Portugal failed to win any of their first two matches at a World Cup – that was in 2014, when they also failed to progress from the group stage.
- Portugal are winless in their last two World Cup matches against Asian teams: a loss to South Korea in 2022, and a draw against Iran in 2018.
- Uzbekistan has lost three straight games – and lost both pre-World Cup matches.
- Only one of Uzbekistan’s last 23 games against European opposition has ended in victory (10 draws, 12 losses).
Prediction for Portugal vs. Uzbekistan
It is likely that Portugal will deliver another weak performance, and the pressure and questions surrounding Ronaldo will only increase if they fail to secure all three points.
Prediction: Portugal 1-1 Uzbekistan
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