As we predicted, European champions Portugal got off to a slow start in the Confederations Cup by failing to beat Mexico and now face hosts Russia needing a win. Cristiano Ronaldo and co will have their work cut out against a well organised Russian side benefiting from passionate home support. It should be a tight game and Portugal will have to be at their best to take three points.
Russia qualify automatically for the 2018 World Cup as they are the host nation, so they are lacking in competitive match practice. This competition is a great opportunity for their players to get some games under their belts and learn to form a cohesive unit in time for next summer. They could not have wished for an easier start. They faced New Zealand in their opening game and emerged with a comfortable 2-0 victory. This competition draws in the winners of all the confederations across the world, so you end up with real heavyweights like European champions Portugal and South American champions Chile and they go up against teams like New Zealand, who only have to beat some tiny Pacific island nations to qualify. The Kiwis are a poor side and made life even harder for themselves by conceding an own goal after half an hour, and the Russians rarely looked troubled before Fyodor Smolev wrapped things up with a second half strike.
They will face a far sterner test against Portugal. Fernando Santos’ side typically start slowly in competitions and improve as they go on. They reached the knockout stages of Euro 2016 despite drawing all their games, and they looked a little sluggish against Mexico in their Confederations Cup opener. Ronaldo laid on a superb assist for Ricardo Quaresma to open the scoring, but Portugal were pegged back when Chicharito struck before half-time. They looked to have sealed a win courtesy of Cedric Soares’ late strike, but were denied by a stoppage time goal from Mexican defender Hector Moreno.
Portugal went with a 4-4-2, with Ronaldo and Nani up top, and they are likely to persist with a formation that served them so well at Euro 2016. Man City new boy Bernardo Silva, signed from Monaco for £43 million earlier this summer, did not play against Mexico, so he could freshen up the side, while Andre Silva provides another option. Portugal are blessed with great strength in depth and have plenty of quality players down the spine of their team, while in Ronaldo they have the world’s deadliest striker, a fearsome blend of exquisite movement, terrifying acceleration, deadly finishing and wonderful aerial ability.
It will not be easy for Portugal, but they really should win this one and the odds are great: evens with the likes of Ladbrokes and William Hill and slightly above evens with some smaller bookmakers. Russia will try to keep things tight and disciplined at the back, but they do not have the quality that Portugal possess in abundance, and you would expect the Russian defence to be unlocked a few times. Ronaldo to score at any time also looks a good option at 11/10 with 10Bet and in other green listed bookmakers. He will be furious that he did not get on the score sheet against Mexico due to his ultra-competitive nature. There is a circus developing around the Real Madrid forward this summer after it was suggested he might like to leave Los Blancos for new pastures in retaliation to his treatment at the hands of Spanish tax officials. It will be good for him to do his talking on the pitch rather than off it, and he will be fired up for this game.
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