Portugal 2-1 Ghana: What’s your prediction?

Portugal will be keen to let their football do the talking when they face Ghana in their World Cup opener on Thursday amid controversy over Cristiano Ronaldo's comments about Manchester United and tensions between the squad and the media.

Portugal hammered Nigeria 4-0 in their last warm-up match before flying to Qatar, offering some encouragement to their fans after a poor run of form.

Ronaldo led Portugal to triumph at Euro 2016 but World Cup glory has eluded him and Qatar represents his last chance.

But Ghana - who reached the World Cup quarter-finals in 2016 - arrived on the Arabian Peninsula with wind their sails too after beating Switzerland 2-0 in a friendly.

Lining up against them for Ghana are likely to be Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey, Leicester City defender Daniel Amartey and Athletic Bilbao striker Inaki Williams.

Coach Otto Addo, Ghana's third manager in 12 months, has sought to rebuild the team after a disastrous showing at the Cup of Nations in early 2022, bringing in more European-born players such as Brighton & Hove Albion wingback Tariq Lamptey.

But his plans suffered a setback when both of his leading goalkeepers suffered injuries, meaning third-choice Lawrence Ati-Zigi, who plays at St Gallen in Switzerland, will be entrusted to keep out Ronaldo and his colleagues on Thursday.

When?

24th November, 10:00 pm, Bangladesh time

Where?

Stadium 974, Ras Abu Aboud, Doha, Qatar.

Key stats:

* Portugal's best World Cup finish was third in 1966. They have qualified for the previous five tournaments in a row, reaching the knockout rounds on three occasions (2006, 2010 & 2018).

* Ghana are appearing at a fourth World Cup finals having qualified three times in succession between 2006 and 2014, but missed out in Russia four years ago. They have reached the knockout rounds twice, with a quarter-final finish in 2010 their best result.

* Portugal have met African opposition five times before at the World Cup, recording three wins, a draw and a 3-1 loss to Morocco in 1986.

* Ghana were within a late Asamoah Gyan penalty of being the first African nation to reach the semi-finals in 2010, but the striker missed from the spot against Uruguay and the Black Stars then lost in a shootout.

Previous meetings:

The only previous clash between Portugal and Ghana was at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where a John Boye own goal and Cristiano Ronaldo strike helped the European side to a 2-1 victory in the group stage.

Prediction: Portugal 2-1 Ghana

Probable lineups:

Portugal: (4-2-3-1) D.Costa (GK), Mendes, Dias, Pepe, Cancelo, Neves, Carvalho, Leao, Fernandes, B.Silva, Ronaldo

Ghana: (4-1-4-1) Zigi, Rahman, Salisu, Amartey, Lamptey, Partey, Kudus, Sulemana, J.Ayew, A.Ayew, I.Williams

Following is a statbox on Portugal 

FIFA Ranking: 9

Odds: 12-1

Previous tournaments:

Portugal made their World Cup debut in England in 1966, knocking out champions Brazil and reaching the semi-finals, finishing in third place, which is their best result in the tournament. They participated only once between 1966 and 1998, in Mexico 1986, but have qualified for every edition since 2002. They reached the semis again in 2006, losing 1-0 to France. Since then they have not got further than the last 16, losing to eventual champions Spain in 2010 and to Uruguay in 2018. In Brazil 2014 they were knocked out in the group stage.

How they qualified:

Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal had to go through the pain of the playoffs after losing 2-1 at home in their final group stage game against Serbia to an Aleksandar Mitrovic goal in added time when they only needed a draw to reach Qatar as Group A winners. Instead, they had to beat Turkey (3-1) and North Macedonia (2-0) in playoff games at Porto to book their trip to the tournament.

Form guide:

Pressure and criticism are high for underachievers Portugal who have had a series of disappointing results since winning the opening edition of the Nations League at home in 2019. They were knocked out by Belgium in the last 16 of the European Championships in 2021, had to go through the playoffs to qualify for the World Cup and failed to reach the final four of the Nations League for the second consecutive year.

Following is a statbox on Ghana 

FIFA Ranking: 61

Odds: 150-1

Previous tournaments:

Ghana had won the Africa Cup of Nations title four times before finally qualifying for the World Cup at the 10th time of asking. Their debut in Germany in 2006 was followed by successive appearances in 2010 and 2014. Victories over the Czech Republic and U.S. saw Ghana through to the second round in 2006 but they then lost 3-0 to Brazil in Dortmund. In 2010, they became only the third African side to reach the quarter-finals as they carried the continent's hopes in South Africa. They finished above Australia and Serbia in their group, then beat the Americans again before a controversial penalty shootout defeat to Uruguay in Johannesburg. Ghana's last appearance in Brazil was beset by squabbles over money and they went home early.

How they qualified:

A goalkeeping howler handed Ghana an away goal in their playoff tie against Nigeria, proving decisive in securing a ticket to the World Cup. Ghana were held goalless at home in the first leg but then Thomas Partey caught Nigeria unawares 10 minutes into the second leg and, despite giving up an equaliser, they held out for qualification on the away goals rule. Ghana advanced to the playoff round by finishing top of their group, narrowly edging out South Africa, who sought FIFA intervention after claiming that a decisive penalty that secured Ghana victory in the match between the two had been corruptly awarded. The complaints were dismissed.

Form guide:

Ghana got a stark reminder of the gulf between their side and the top World Cup contenders when Brazil easily beat them in a friendly in Le Havre in September. It was one of five defeats in 12 games suffered by the Black Stars this year, which has not inspired confidence among their fans. They started 2022 with a shock defeat at the Cup of Nations finals to the tiny Comoros Islands, who eliminated them at the first hurdle, leading to the sacking of coach Milovan Rajevac. They also lost 4-1 to Japan in the Kirin Cup in mid-year.