25/04 - 20:00
Saving the best for last, Group H could be the closest group of all, so who will make it into the Round of 16?
In collaboration with our good friends The Graphic Bomb, Playmaker have produced a World Cup guide packed with info on each of the nations taking part this winter and it's a pleasure to be able to share the stats, expert opinion and player analysis that we've stockpiled in the process.
It might not all be about Ronaldo, but he's always going to grab the headlines. It's time to take a look at Portugal...
Portugal arrive in Qatar suffering something of an existential crisis.
Blessed with what is widely regarded as the most talented generation in their history, Portuguese fans and media outlets are united in the belief that manager Fernando Santos has little clue how to max- imise the array of individual talent at his disposal.
The 2016 European champions are also grappling with the unfathomable Ronaldo Paradox which states that: ‘the glory and success enjoyed by a worldbeater will be directly proportional to all future agonising regarding whether he is past it or not'.
Star Player – Cristiano Ronaldo
�Catarina Morais / Kapta +
He might not be in his best form, and perhaps Portugal play better without him - but Cristiano Ronaldo remains the main man for the Selecao.
As Manchester United have discovered since CR7 signed up for a second stint at Old Trafford, teams lose dynamism and intensity when he is on the pitch - the trade off being that they gain one of the best goalscorers to have ever lived!
A lot will depend on Ronaldo’s condition and focus when he arrives in Qatar. This almost certainly represents his last tilt at winning the World Cup and it is inconceivable that he won’t give it his best shot. Playing at five Euros and now five World Cups is a Herculean achievement!
Wild Card – Diogo Costa
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Europe has sat up and taken note of Porto keeper Diogo Costa’s penalty heroics this season (he has already saved three, a record in a single Champions League edition), but there is far more to his game.
Portugal may be famed for producing elite outfield talent, but Costa has everything a top modern goalkeeper needs: fantastic presence, distribution and shot-stopping allied to a rock solid temperament.
Costa has gone a little under the radar playing outside of Europe’s ‘Top 5’ leagues, but he is on track to establish himself as one of the best keepers in the world - a strong World Cup showing will quicken that process.
Opinion
Portugal memorably finished third in their group before winning Euro 2016, and the ‘Quinas’ have a habit of coming unstuck against inferior opposition - so Group H is not without its challenges.
With such a strong squad and only a few injuries, Portugal should comfortably reach the knockout stages - but how they fare when they get there is anyone’s guess!
With Diogo Jota sidelined, Fernando Santos may have to dismantle his favoured midfield diamond and abandon a 4-4-2 in favour of a 4-3-3. Either way, he will face a raft of tough selection issues and headaches, such as how to coax the best out of Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes.
If Portugal click, it could be ‘What a tournament!’. If they don’t, it’ll be a tale of What Ifs...
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