World Cup Russia 2018: Portugal – Preview, Squad, and Potential Line-Up
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Portugal, the reigning European Champions from the Euros in 2016 are back in action. The team won their qualifying group in front of Switzerland even if the two teams ended up on the same amount of points. Everything was down to the last game and the Portuguese were able to secure direct qualification. It should be noted that the group was extremely simple with teams like the Faroe Islands, Andorra, and Latvia so the achievement isn’t that great.
How will it go for the European champions in this tournament then? Well, in relations to the victorious squad there are some minor changes. Renato Sanchez, the golden boy is not included, Nani has retired from international football and Eder, who scored in the final has been left out. Of course, the biggest badest wolf in town, Cristiano Ronaldo will be as usual extremely important for the nation. Real Madrid has been resting the striker quite a lot lately and will be well rested before the opening game against Spain. Manchester City’s Bernado Silva, Sporting Lissabon’s William Carvalho, Monaco’s Joao Moutinho will all be crucial for the team as well. The squad is solid and the team has great chances to advance. The opening game against their local rivals Spain will be vital for the team’s confidence and possibilities to win and/or advance from the group since the team should win the remaining games against IR Iran and Morocco. Even if Portugal will be strong favorites in the two remaining games, there is always a chance for an upset. A bad result against Spain and Portugal’s mojo might be damaged enough for the whole tournament to end in a failure. But if you have watched enough football and Real Madrid games you are well aware that Cristiano Ronaldo can win games on his own.
To summarize, Portugal should advance from the group. I believe it will be difficult to win it since the Spanish side is astronomically good at the moment. Below you can find the squad, odds, and the potential line-up.
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Below you can find Portugal’s 23-man official squad:
Goalkeepers:
Lopes, Beto, Rui Patricio.
Defenders:
Bruno Alves, Soares, Fonte, Rui, Pepe, Guerreiro, Pereira, Dias.
Midfielders:
Silva, B. Fernandes, Mario, Moutinho, M. Fernandes, Carvalho.
Forwards:
A. Silva, B. Silva, C. Ronaldo, Martins, Guedes, Quaresma.
Fixtures:
Portugal vs Spain – 15/06/18 – 19.00 GMT
Portugal vs Morocco – 20/06/18 – 13.00 GMT
IR Iran vs Portugal – 25/06/18 – 19.00 GMT
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More detailed accounts for all teams will be posted here at Sportbetting-Odds.com.
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