Portugal vs Uzbekistan: Match Preview | OneFootball

An uninspiring Portugal managed a 1-1 with World Cup debutants DR Congo last Wednesday. The pressure is fully on them to win against another World Cup newcomer when they face Uzbekistan in Houston on Wednesday.

No easy task for Portugal

A win against Uzbekistan won’t be a walk in the park for Roberto Martinez’s men. The White Wolves may have lost 3-1 to Colombia in their first ever World Cup appearance, but they still held their own for long periods of the match.

Abbosbek Fayzullaev did score an equaliser in their World Cup opener, with a close-range header on the hour mark. They nearly made it 2-2 as well, Akmal Mozgovoy curled a shot just wide in the 90th minute, before the Colombians sealed the win with a third goal. 

There was still time for Jakhongir Urozov to hit the crossbar after that late goal, showing that they definitely have the ability to cause problems going forward. 

Should Ronaldo be dropped?

DR Congo may have defended resolutely against Portugal last week, but Cristiano Ronaldo & Co still lacked the spark to create and score goals. They dominated the possession of the match and many felt that the floodgates might open after João Neves’s early goal. No more goals came for the Nations League holders though, with Yoane Wissa making the score 1-1 on the stroke of half-time and that’s how it stayed. 

Fans and pundits alike have suggested that the Seleção das Quinas may produce more in the final third without Ronaldo being the main focal point. At 41 years and 132 days old, he’s oldest outfield player to start a World Cup match. His tally of 25 touches was the least out of all the players who completed the full 90 minutes.

As a result, rumours are swirling that Martinez is too scared to take off the star player in the team. The Spaniard can squash these rumours by leaving the captain on the bench against Uzbekistan and still bring the Al-Nassr striker on to make an impact as a substitute.

History, tactics and formations

These two nations have actually faced each other in the past, albeit only once before. Portugal won this friendly fixture 5-2 back in September 2012 and they’d take the same scoreline again all day long. 

Whatever forward line Uzbekistan face on Wednesday, they’ll be quietly confident that can can shut them out. Under the guidance of one of the best defenders to ever grace the pitch, Fabio Cannavaro likes to have a back three in his 3-4-2-1 formation. Manchester City star Abdukodir Khusanov should partner the experienced Rustam Ashurmatov again, while the flair of Fayzullaev could be their most potent weapon. 

If Ronaldo does score in this Group K match, he’ll be the first person to score in six different World Cups. The general feeling is that he may have to put personal records to one side to make sure his country gets all three points. 

The pressure will be on him if he does start, because Ronaldo has now gone 10 consecutive games at major tournaments without finding the net. That was a penalty against Ghana at the 2022 World Cup. 

Match prediction

Whether CR7 starts or not, Portugal should have the firepower to dispatch Uzbekistan. We have seen a fair few shocks in this tournament so far though and I’m tempted to back this trend. It would be amazing to see another nation get their first World Cup point, so I’m going to go for a 0-0 draw.

Hardly inspiring, a bit like Portugal in their first match. So I’m going to follow this narrative and hope for another defensive masterclass from an underdog. 

Portugal possible starting lineup:D. Costa; Cancelo, Araújo, Veiga, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Silva, Fernandes, Neto; G. Ramos.

Uzbekistan possible starting lineup:Yusupov; Khusanov, Abdullaev, Urozov; Karimov, Mozgovoy, Shukurov, Nasrulloev; Fayzullayev, Urunov; Shomurodov.

Match details