Cristiano Ronaldo has one final chance to get his hands on the elusive World Cup trophy as Portugal prepare to take on Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea in Group H.
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Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea
Portugal will attempt to beat their previous feat in the tournament after they failed to make it past the last 16 in 2018, while Uruguay managed to reach the quarter-final stages in the last World Cup.
South Korea are making their 10th appearance and their best achievement at the global tournament came in 2002 when they finished in fourth place as co-hosts. Ghana has appeared in the tournament on three occasions with their best place finishing in 2010 when they reached the quarter-finals in South Africa.
Uruguay denied Ghana place in the semis following a shocking handball from Luis Suarez – revenge is on the cards this time around.
Best match: Portugal vs Uruguay
In a clash of two heavyweights, Portugal takes on Uruguay in the fourth Group H fixture, which is set to kick off at the Lusail Iconic Stadium on November 28.
The teams have met on three occasions including once in the World Cup, which Uruguay won by a scoreline of 2–1 in the round of 16 back in 2018.
Predicted qualifiers: Portugal and Uruguay
Portugal and Uruguay are favourites to progress to the knockout stages but South Korea and Ghana should not be underestimated as both squads are equipped with a sprinkling of elite level players, who could throw a spanner in the works for both Portugal and Uruguay.
Player to watch: Cristiano Ronaldo
Despite Cristiano Ronaldo finding life difficult at Manchester United at the moment, he has always worn his national team jersey with pride.
Although he is not at his best scoring form, Portugal’s all-time leading scorer will play a key role in leading his side to victory in a star-studded team that also includes the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Joao Cancelo to name a few.
Player that could surprise: Federico Valverde
Federico Valverde is one of the world’s best midfielders at the moment and has proven himself to be clinical in the offensive and defensive ends this season.
This season alone, Valverde has already bagged six goals and two assists in just 13 matches, which is a huge improvement from last season where he didn’t score and only registered one assist in 31 appearances. And together with an in-form Darwin Nunez, Valverde could become of the stars of this tournament.