Portugal and Ghana face off on Thursday in their first World Cup game in a Group H showdown at Stadium 974.
Portugal has high expectations surrounding this team, but there are a ton of distractions surrounding this team. There is a ton of chatter about Cristiano Ronaldo and where he will play now that he and Manchester United have parted ways. The hope is they can put that aside to find success here. Portugal has never made it past the semi-finals in the World Cup, and there is a ton of pressure on this team. Last Thursday they faced off against Nigeria, and they were able to secure a 4-0 win. Bruno Fernandes scored two goals in that game. Ronaldo was dealing with an illness, but it seems that he’s going to be good to go for this game. Bernado SIlva will also start, and he is going to need to have a big game from Ronaldo.
On the other side of this matchup is Ghana, who made a coaching change with Otto Addo taking over, and the hope is a change in voice can help this team. Ghana has been playing some strong soccer heading into this game. They have won seven of their last eight games, with the only loss coming against Brazil. In the last lead up game against Switzerland, Ghana scored two goals and secured the win. The Black Stars are also fully healthy heading into this game, and they feel like they can give Portugal a real test. Thomas Partey, Kamaldeen Sulemana and Alexander Djiku all were on the bench for the last game, but they are expected to move back into the starting lineup here.
There are plenty of goals that are going to be scored here. Portugal still has the best player on the pitch in Ronaldo, and he’s going to have a big game here. Ghana’s offense also been strong heading into this game, and they are going to score a couple of goals here. Look for a 2-1 or 2-2 type of game, and the over is going to cash.