Portugal will take on Ghana at Stadium 974 on Thursday as they hope to pick up all three points from the first match of their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign. The Portuguese national team picked up a dominant 4-0 win over Nigeria recently which will give them a lot of momentum ahead of this game.
Fernando Santos is expected to set his players up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and will probably name a strong first-team for this clash in midweek. Cristiano Ronaldo will lead the charge for Portugal on the attacking third of the field while Joao Felix drops to the bench.
4-2-3-1 Portugal Predicted Lineup To Face Ghana
Defence
Diogo Costa will function in between the sticks for Portugal as he tries to keep a clean sheet versus Ghana this Thursday. Pepe could get a chance to impress alongside Ruben Dias at the centre of Santos’ defence as they focus on keeping things solid at the back during the 90 minutes.
Joao Cancelo would look to give a good account of himself as the right-back while Raphaël Guerreiro hopes to catch the eye on the other flank as the left-back. Santos will allow both of them to be adventurous with their runs out on the wide areas so that they can create some decent chances in the final third.
Diogo Dalot will have to be content with a place on the bench as he offers cover for the right-back position.
Midfield
William Carvalho will anchor the midfield along with Ruben Neves as they look to dictate the flow of the game at the centre of the park and engineer some clear-cut chances for Portugal to emerge victorious in midweek.
Rafael Leao should get an opportunity to shine as the left-winger while Bernardo Silva hopes to cause problems for the opposition defenders from the right.
Bruno Fernandes will operate in the number ten position and would have to carry most of the creative workload for Portugal up top. The Manchester United talent will be eager to put in a good performance versus Ghana this Thursday.
Otavio, Joao Mario and Joao Palhinha will be available for selection on the bench as they wait for their chance to impress in the second 45 minutes if needed.
Attack
Cristiano Ronaldo will lead the line for Santos’ team in the opponent’s half. The Portuguese superstar would be desperate to answer his critics by putting in a goal-scoring performance in midweek.
Andre Silva and Joao Felix will be named on the bench but might come on to make an impact in the latter stages of the contest if required.
