Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal will have to watch almost every other team get their 2022 World Cup campaigns underway before they face Ghana in Group H on Thursday, November 24.
The game — the second of the tournament being played at the 974 Stadium in Doha — kicks off at 16:00 GMT & WET (11:00 EST).
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In the UK, ITV will be broadcasting the match while FOX and Telemundo are showing it in the US. RTP have the rights in Portugal and it is GBC in Ghana.
The referee for the game is Ismael Elfath. The American goes into the World Cup having recently taken charge of the MLS Cup final which he was trusted with after winning the MLS Referee of the Year award.
Team news
Renato Sanches and Diogo Jota are the notable absentees from Portugal’s squad, the latter through injury.
Portugal have plenty of quality elsewhere in their ranks with the likes of Ronaldo, Joao Cancelo, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Rafael Leao all included.
Ronaldo missed his side’s friendly against Nigeria on Thursday evening due to gastroenteritis but was back in training on Saturday and was described by team-mate Ruben Neves as being in “spectacular shape” ahead of the opener.
Ghana have plenty of Premier League talent of their own to call upon, as well as Athletic Bilbao frontman Inaki Williams.
He is supported in the squad by experienced players including Tariq Lamptey, Daniel Amartey and Mohammed Salisu.
Lamptey switched his international allegiance to Ghana over the summer (Photo: RYAN LIM/AFP via Getty Images)Squad guides
Portugal World Cup 2022 squad guide: Young stars, ageing stars, and a familiar debate about Ronaldo
Ghana World Cup 2022 squad guide: A strong team on paper, but will they gel?
Predicted line-ups
Portugal (4-2-3-1): Costa, Cancelo, Dias, Pereira, Mendes; Carvalho, Neves; Silva, Fernandes, Felix; Ronaldo.
Ghana (4-2-3-1): Ati-Zigi, Lamptey, Amartey, Salisu, Baba; Abdul Samed, Partey; Sulemana, Kudus, [Andre] Ayew; Williams.
What’s at stake?
While only Ronaldo will decide when he calls it a day on his glittering career, this could be his last World Cup.
He will be 41 years old by the time the 2026 World Cup kicks off and this season has shown that his powers have waned somewhat, despite what he has told Piers Morgan over the last few days.
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A strong start is imperative if he and his team mates are to win the tournament and they should have more than enough quality to make it past Ghana.
Prediction
Portugal to beat Ghana.
Portugal to win: 70%. Ghana to win: 12%. Draw: 18%.
All of our predictions for the 2022 World Cup are powered by Nielsen’s Gracenote, who have used a proprietary football ranking system to estimate the chances of different results for every possible match through extensive simulations, to assess the chances for each team to reach different stages of the tournament.
Expert opinion
Portugal v Ghana is another World Cup rematch, with the two sides previously meeting in Group G during Brazil 2014.
Portugal won that match 2-1, but the real drama was found off the field, with the Ghanaian government sending $3 million in cash in order to avoid a potential player boycott before kick-off.
Ghana will hope for less drama in the present day but will be the underdogs in Group H. Managed by Borussia Dortmund assistant coach Otto Addo, Ghana (61) have the lowest FIFA Ranking of all 32 participating countries at Qatar 2022.
Much will be asked of Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus who will likely play as the number 10 today. In a nation that typically makes stocky defensive midfielders, Kudus is the most promising attacking player Ghana has had in around a decade.
Carl Anka
Reason to watch
Fernando Santos has been the subject of plenty of criticism over the last few months.
The 68-year-old, who has another couple of years left on his contract, has been targeted by supporters who feel he has not allowed the nation’s best players to express themselves in an attacking style.
Santos’ Portugal contracts runs until after Euro 2024 (Photo: Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)It will be intriguing to see whether he has taken those recent comments onboard at the World Cup and Portugal’s clash with Ghana will be the first indication of his tactical versatility.
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Whether or not Ronaldo will start will also provide a headline after his illness, despite insistence he is ready.
Wider reading
Unfortunately for Portugal, Ronaldo’s explosive interview with Piers Morgan is dominating much of the pre-tournament agenda although, he is said to be fully focused on the task at hand. As for Ghana, they will be excited to see more of Lamptey in the Black Stars shirt.
Follow the latest Qatar World Cup news, analysis, tables, fixtures and more here.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
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