Preview
According to Ruben Dias, Portugal won’t be deterred from their goal of starting their World Cup campaign by the controversy surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo.
Prior to Portugal’s opening Group H encounter against Ghana in Qatar on Thursday at Stadium 974, Ronaldo’s heated interview with Piers Morgan has been the talk of the town.
Despite what appeared to be a tense exchange with his former Manchester United teammate Bruno Fernandes upon the latter’s arrival at the team’s training camp, Portugal’s captain assured no problems have been made in the group.
Centre-back However, Dias dismissed the possibility that Ronaldo’s predicament might serve as a distraction.
In a press conference on Tuesday, Dias said, “I don’t think Cristiano’s affairs have put a dent whatsoever into what we are trying to do here. Therefore, I don’t have anything to say about it.
“I believe we have covered this in enough detail; there isn’t much else to say. We will concentrate as a team right now on the World Cup and not on other matters.
“We are committed to defeating Ghana. The ideal strategy for success is to concentrate on one game at a time, and that is the best method for us to have a prosperous future.
Portugal will have a difficult time leaving Group H.
The other teams in the group are Uruguay and South Korea, and Ghana enters its fourth World Cup with the youngest team in the competition but a quality one.
Mohammed Kudus and Thomas Partey are having excellent seasons with their respective teams, Ajax and Arsenal, while Inaki Williams, who has switched allegiance from Spain, is a threat up top.
Ghana has in fact averaged the highest shots per game at the World Cup among all countries competing in 2022, according to thorough Opta World Cup data (19).
“Ghana are physically a strong team, technically as well. They have footballers who are playing at the top level in Europe,” added Dias.
“We are aware we are facing a very dangerous team. We’re focused on what we are doing, but aware of the difficulties that Ghana will bring.”
Players to Watch
Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo
What greater setting exists than this for Ronaldo to silence his detractors? In order to become the first player to score in five different World Cup finals, the 37-year-old must succeed.
Ronaldo has scored seven goals in the competition, all of which have come in the group stage. He is the player in the competition with the most goals scored who hasn’t scored a goal in the knockout stages (six such appearances without a goal).
Ghana: Mohammed Kudus
Kudus admitted earlier this week that he was on the verge of signing with Everton in August, but if the 22-year-old maintains his club form through the World Cup, bigger teams may show interest in him in January.
In six games this season, he has scored 10 goals for Ajax, including four in the Champions League.
Kudus might be one to watch in Qatar with Williams leading and Partey trailing.
Prediction
Our prediction model predicts Fernando Santos’ team a 69.6% chance of winning, making Portugal the clear favourite.
An 11.9% likelihood is given to Ghana, which fell to Portugal 2-1 at the 2014 World Cup. The draw has an 18.5% chance.
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