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Portugal and Switzerland, for the last ticket to the quarterfinals

Portugal and Switzerland, for the last ticket to the quarterfinals.

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Portugal and Switzerland, for the last ticket to the quarterfinals

Portugal and Switzerland, for the last ticket to the quarterfinals

The Portuguese challenge a Switzerland that no longer remembers going past the round of 16

MADRID, 5 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The selections of Portugal and Switzerland face each other this Tuesday in the last of the duels of the round of 16 of the World Cup, a close and equal battle between some Portuguese with several leaders pulling the same car and a Switzerland that no longer remembers what which is to advance to a World Cup quarterfinals.

It will be the last quarterfinal ticket at stake and whoever wins it will face Spain or Morocco in the next round. Perhaps Portugal, due to the history and weight of its footballers, will start with an advantage, but this Switzerland is by no means neutral and will go all out to seek to write its own history.

The Swiss team wants to be, 68 years later, in the quarterfinals of a World Cup and advance more than in the last two editions in Russia and Brazil, where they were stranded in the round of 16. Portugal, for its part, has not reached the quarterfinals since Germany 2006, the World Cup in which it was fourth.

There is a desire in both countries to want to stay alive. In an unprecedented duel in a World Cup, there are close quarrels since Portugal, of the last three clashes with Switzerland, has lost twice --in the Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland and, more recently, in the League of Nations-- .

So the Portuguese will not be surprised nor should they be surprised by a Switzerland that they know and that has already been their executioner before. After beating Ghana and Uruguay, the Portuguese lost --insignificantly-- to South Korea, knowing that they were leaders of Group H, so it's time to change the chip and the dynamics.

They will try to do it with a very attacking group, but with several players who aspire to be leaders. It should be Cristiano Ronaldo, by captaincy and experience, but CR7 has rivals in his own home. Among them, who was his teammate at Manchester United Bruno Fernandes, top scorer (2) and assistant (2) of the team in this World Cup.

That rivalry between former clubmates is noticeable on the pitch. In fact, the anecdote of the victory over Uruguay was that Ronaldo tried to get a goal from him that belonged to Fernandes. A Ronaldo who, with eight goals, is one away from equaling Eusébio as Portugal's all-time top scorer in World Cups.

However, if they get along or don't bother when it comes to taking that rope that Portugal pulls, that alliance can add up, and a lot, for Fernando Santos' men. But opposite will be Switzerland and its desire to match the quarterfinals of 1954, in a World Cup that was played on Swiss soil.

"The defeat against the Republic of Korea is a wake-up call that reminds us that we need our best version at all times. We cannot let our guard down, because any opponent is dangerous in this World Cup," said Fernando Santos, the Portuguese coach, in the run-up to the match.

For his part, the Swiss coach, Murat Yakin, assured that Portugal "starts as favourites". "But in a one-game tie, anything can happen. If we start the game well and our tactics work, any outcome is possible," the Central European coach qualified.

Switzerland has cards to use to stop the offensive power of Portugal, which has a Joao Félix who wants to stand out, finally, or a Bernardo Silva who may also be facing his last great opportunity to shine in a World Cup. The Swiss know that they have a strong backbone, in Sommer-Akanji-Xhaka-Shaqiri-Embolo and they will do everything possible to earn that precious pass to the quarterfinals.

PORTUGAL: Diogo Costa; João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Pepe, Guerreiro; Rúben Neves, William Carvalho; Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, João Félix; and Cristiano Ronaldo.

SWITZERLAND: Summer; Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Family, Sow, Vargas, Shaqiri; y Embolo.

--REFEREE: César Arturo Ramos (MEX).

--STADIUM: Lusail.

--TIME: 20.00/World Goal.