Portugal seeks revenge and the eighth

Portugal seeks revenge and the eighth

The Portuguese, with Cristiano on the hunt for Eusébio's record, want to seal the ticket against Uruguay, their executioner in the round of 16 four years ago

MADRID, 27 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Portugal team will battle this Monday with Uruguay (8:00 p.m. / World Goal and Movistar) for a victory that ensures their ticket to the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, with Cristiano Ronaldo looking to surpass Eusébio as the top Portuguese scorer in the World Cup World, all in a match in which the Charrúas need to win so as not to complicate their future and the qualifiers.

Despite the relaxation of the last few minutes, which almost caused him displeasure in an action in which only a slip by Iñaki Williams prevented the 3-3 scoreline, the Portuguese team signed a hasty victory against Ghana (3-2) in his debut in the Asian event to go on to lead Group H.

Thus, another victory this Monday against the sky-blue team, which did not go beyond a draw on the first day against South Korea (0-0) in a match without a single shot on goal, would give them the mathematical pass to the round of 16, and Fernando Santos' men do not want to miss out on the opportunity to get back on track for first place, which would foreseeably prevent them from facing Brazil in the round of 16.

With the loss of central defender Danilo Pereira due to the fracture of three ribs during training, Pepe or António Silva will take his place in the center of the rear, while William Carvalho is the other foreseeable change in the Portuguese eleven due to Otávio's muscular discomfort .

Above, the athletic João Félix, author of one of the goals against the Ghanaians and wanting to vindicate himself, will once again accompany the incombustible Cristiano Ronaldo, who made history last Thursday by becoming the first player to score in five consecutive World Cups.

With the need to forget his surprising departure from Manchester United, the man from Madeira is now looking for another record, that of being the top Portuguese scorer in World Cups, an honor still held by the legendary Eusébio; two goals would allow him to surpass the nine of the 'Black Panther'.

Opposite, Uruguay needs to hit the table after their tie in the opener against the South Koreans, especially if they do not want to depend on others in the last day. In fact, if they lose this Monday, a draw against Ghana in their third game would not even be worth it to advance to the round of 16.

To avoid scares, the Charrúas, who have reached the qualifying rounds in the last three editions -the semifinals in South Africa 2010, the round of 16 in Brazil 2014 and the quarterfinals in Russia 2018-, will try to get their sixth consecutive clean sheet in the World Cup, a strength that Diego Alonso has been able to strengthen, with whom the team has conceded only two goals in their last ten games.

All against a rival who will seek revenge after what happened the only time they met, in the round of 16 of the previous World Cup; on that occasion, a brace from Edinson Cavani eliminated the 'tugas' in Russia (2-1). The Valencia striker will wait for his chance on the bench, with Darwin Núñez and Luis Suárez indisputable in attack.

The 'celeste' will continue without counting on the culé defender Ronald Araujo, who will not risk it yet, although the defense will be guaranteed with Diego Godín and the rojiblanco José María Giménez as a central pair and Martín Cáceres and Mathías Olivera on the sides.

Real Madrid player Fede Valverde, in a position a little further back than in the white team, will form a midfield where Nicolás de la Cruz or Giorgian de Arrascaeta could enter instead of Facundo Pellistri.

PORTUGAL: Diogo Costa; Cancelo, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Guerreiro; Neves, Bernardo Silva, Carvalho, Bruno Fernandes; Joao Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo.

URUGUAY: Rochet; Caceres, Godin, Gimenez, Olivera; Neighbor, Faith Valverde, Bentancur, Of ​​the Cross; Darwin Nunez and Luis Suarez.

--REFEREE: Alireza Faghani (IRN).

--STADIUM: Iconic of Lusail.

--TIME: 20.00/Gol Mundial and Movistar.