Portugal will be looking to cement their place in the last 16 of the World Cup when they face Uruguay at Lusail Stadium in Group H on Monday night.
Cristiano Ronaldo and co. kicked off their campaign with a 3-2 victory over Ghana, meaning they find themselves two points clear at the top of the group.
First steps! 👣🗺️🏆 #VesteABandeira #WearTheFlag #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/SwYfkUQ43L— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) November 24, 2022
First steps! 👣🗺️🏆 #VesteABandeira #WearTheFlag #FIFAWorldCup pic.twitter.com/SwYfkUQ43L
Meanwhile, the Uruguayans were held to a goalless draw by South Korea in their opener. As a result, they sit third in Group H – two points shy of Portugal.
Last time out, Ronaldo gave Portugal the lead against Ghana. Joao Felix and Rafael Leao also found the net, although Ghana scored twice to give the game a nervy ending.
Portugal dominated large spells of the game, finishing up with 62% possession and 11 shots. However, they didn’t look entirely convincing at times.
Thursday’s victory means that Portugal have won three of their last four games in all competitions. When you look at the bigger picture, they have won five of their previous seven.
Having won seven of their ten outings in 2022, the Portuguese will be confident of booking their place in the knockout phase.
As for Uruguay, they registered a solitary attempt on target in their goalless draw with South Korea – although Federico Valverde smashed the post in the second half.
It is also worth noting that Uruguay managed to prevent the South Koreans from registering a single shot on target last time out.
Thanks to the draw against South Korea, Diego Alonso’s side have only lost one of their past ten games across all competitions – sealing seven wins in the process.
Better still, Uruguay have kept eight clean sheets in their previous ten outings. Have they got what it takes to keep out Portugal?
Head-to-head: Portugal and Uruguay have only faced each other three times previous. Portugal won the first meeting 3-0 back in 1966 before the two sides played out a 1-1 draw in 1972.
Notably, Uruguay beat Portugal 2-1 at the 2018 World Cup to knock them out of the tournament in the round of 16.
Team news: Rafael Leao will be pushing for a start for Portugal after coming off the bench to score against Ghana last time out.
On the flip side, Edinson Cavani could get the nod for Uruguay following his absence from the starting XI against South Korea.
Uruguay know they must avoid defeat to keep their World Cup dreams alive. As a result, they are likely to frustrate Portugal.
Forebet predicts that Portugal and Uruguay will play out a goalless draw on Monday, keeping Group H wide open ahead of the final round of fixtures.