Portuguese Football in English
As part of PortuGOAL’s series looking at Portugal’s Group H opponents at the Qatar World Cup, the focus turns to Uruguay.
Uruguay knocked the Seleção out of the 2018 World Cup, and several familiar faces from that side are still part of the South American team.
Uruguayan football expert Álvaro Perez tells us what we need to know about the team Portugal play on 28 November at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.
With the countdown clock for the start of the FIFA World Cup 2022 well and truly ticking (Portugal’s opening game at the tournament is just ten days away), PortuGOAL will this week be taking a look at the Seleção’s Group H opponents with the help of local football experts from the three nations in question.
First up is Korea Republic, who Portugal play on 2 December. South Korean football journalist Steve Han runs the rule over the Asian Nation coached by former Portugal manager Paulo Bento.
Fernando Santos has announced the 26 players who will represent Portugal at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
The main talking points were the inclusion of Benfica’s teenage centre-back António Silva, and the omission of PSG midfielder Renato Sanches.
Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa (Porto), José Sá (Wolves), Rui Patrício (Roma)
Defenders: Diogo Dalot (Manchester United), João Cancelo (Manchester City), Danilo Pereira (PSG), Pepe (Porto), Rúben Dias (Manchester City), António Silva (Benfica), Nuno Mendes (PSG), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund)
Midfielders: João Palhinha (Fulham), Rúben Neves (Wolves), Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United), João Mário (Benfica), Matheus Nunes (Wolves), Otávio Monteiro (Porto), Vitinha (PSG), William Carvalho (Real Betis)
Forwards: André Silva (Leipzig), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Gonçalo Ramos (Benfica), João Félix (Atlético Madrid), Rafael Leão (AC Milan), Ricardo Horta (Braga)
Any side that boasts Cristiano Ronaldo within its ranks, regardless of how the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is getting on at a club level, needs to be taken seriously on the international stage. Portugal will once again be looking to an all-time great for inspiration when they take to the World Cup stage in Qatar.
There may be suggestions that the powers of a modern-day legend are on the wane, but history dictates that to write Ronaldo off is asking for trouble. In many ways, he likes nothing more than to be backed into the kind of corner that requires him to come out fighting.
Portugal forward Diogo Jota’s calf injury he sustained in Liverpool’s weekend victory against Manchester City has ruled him out of the World Cup starting in Qatar next month.
Jota, who had only recently returned from an early-season hamstring injury, had to be carried off on a stretcher in stoppage time at Anfield and today Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp confirmed the worst fears.
