The world watches on in anticipation to see whether Cristiano Ronaldo’s antics will impact Portugal’s chances of glory on the biggest stage of all.
Portugal’s FIFA World Cup finals campaign gets underway on Thursday evening against Ghana, as they seek to put the controversy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s Manchester United exit behind them on the road to a prospective first world title.
The former Real Madrid forward’s controversial interview with Piers Morgan, in which he said he would be happy to see Arsenal win the Premier League if his former club do not, and subsequent contract termination has marred his country’s preparations for their sixth successive appearance at the tournament, at a crucial time for a dressing room featuring several past and present Premier League stars.
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At 27-years-old, Fulham’s João Palhinha will experience his first World Cup with Portugal, hoping his so-far stellar performances since arriving in the Premier League this season will earn him a starting berth over the likes of Wolves’ Ruben Neves and Real Betis’ William Carvalho.
On the other hand his namesake and former West Ham midfielder João Mario, who possesses over 50 international caps, will likely be forced to settle for a place on the bench. This tournament may also prove to be a stage for a host of young Portuguese talent seeking Premier League suitors also, with Atlético Madrid’s João Felix allegedly wanting away from the Spanish capital, and AC Milan’s Rafael Leão linked with a mega money move to Stamford Bridge.
As one of the tournament favourites, Fernando Santos’ side are unsurprisingly tipped as clear favourites for their opener. According to ABC News statistics site FiveThirthyEight, they have a 70% likelihood of taking three points. A draw has been given a 21% chance of occurring, whilst a victory for the Black Stars of Africa has been given only 9%.
This may appear harsh for a nation possessing the likes of Arsenal’s Thomas Partey, Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew and former Chelsea full-back Tariq Lamptey. But facing the 2016 European Champions on the hunt for another title they will have one goal on their mind, and that would be to avoid the same fate as the venue for this match, Stadium 974, come the end of the World Cup - demolition.
Ayew may be key to any upset, which is becoming a trend in the opening round, as Ghana remain unbeaten in 13 of his 14 international goalscoring appearances.
Meanwhile, Mohamed Kudus of AFC Ajax, linked to Tottenham Hotspur having notched 10 goals and two assists at club level so far in 2022/23, is seeking to light up his first major international tournament.
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