On Monday, Portugal will take on Uruguay in a Group H poster game in which they can secure a place in the 2022 World Cup round of 16 with a win over the South American badge.
The team led by Fernando Santos is one win away from reaching the next stage it reached in the last edition, in 2018, in Russia, where it “fell” precisely against a “heavenly” set (2-1). so the memories are not the best.
Although he started winning in his debut, against Ghana (3:2), with goals from Cristiano Ronaldo (65 minutes, from penalties), Joao Felix (78) and Rafael Leao (80), the show fluctuated between good and bad. moments, given the unforgivable weaknesses in the defense and the panic played by goalkeeper Diogo Costa at the very end, Ignaki Williams can be thanked for slipping on the turf of the 974 stadium in Doha.
Against Uruguay, who debuted with a clean 0-0 against South Korea Paulo Bento, the demand will certainly be higher given the collective strength and individuality that the South Americans represent.
The Portuguese coach is expected to make some changes to the Eleven squad, namely in defense, adding left-back Nuno Mendes, although he is still recovering from physical problems, replacing Rafael Guerreiro and the experienced center Pepe to the detriment of Danilo.
Defender Joao Cancelo scored negatively against the Ghana, largely due to poor defensive approaches in two matched goals, and it would not be surprising if Diogo Dalot was able to take the right flank. Goalkeeper Diogo Costa and center Ruben Dias should remain in the starting lineup.
Moreover, Bruno Fernandes, the author of two assists in the first round, and Bernardo Silva should remain in midfield, while Ruben Neves and Otavio, who left with complaints, can give way to Palinha and William Carvalho, respectively.
Already in attack, captain Cristiano Ronaldo will be able to continue to keep Joao Felix company.
In turn, the world champion of 1930 in the first edition, and in 1950 rejuvenated in the technical team with newcomer Diego Alonso, who replaced the “eternal” Oscar Tabares, should not differ much, taking into account the duel with the Koreans, leaving uncertainty about whether whether Edinson Cavani was in the starting lineup as he was used as a substitute.
Sports players Sebastian Coates and Manuel Ugarte are yet to be released and it is unlikely they will be an option against the Portuguese.
Kinas will play Uruguay on Monday at 22:00 local time (19:00 in Lisbon) at the Lusail Stadium, the largest stadium in the competition, with a capacity of 80,000 spectators, hosting a total of nine matches, including the Grand Final 18 December.
December 2 at 18:00 local time (15:00 in Lisbon), South Korea, Paulo Bento follows in the final round of “poule”.
The 22nd World Cup will last until December 18 in Qatar.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.