Portugal v Uruguay: Ronaldo still the main man
Portugal v Uruguay betting tips, predictions and odds
Group H looked likely to be one of the most open ahead of the World Cup and that still looks the case as Portugal prepare to face Uruguay.
Portugal edged what was ultimately a five-goal thriller against Ghana in the first round of matches while Uruguay were held to a goalless draw by South Korea.
Monday’s match at the Lusail Iconic Stadium kicks off at 7pm and is live on ITV.
Portugal poised to progress
Portugal made hard work of qualifying for the World Cup having only finished as runners-up in their group but now have the chance to book their place in the last 16 with a game to spare.
Victory on Monday would see them progress and Portugal winning odds of 20/21 suggest they should do so.
All eyes will once again be on Cristiano Ronaldo, who may be without a club after leaving Manchester United but continues to be the main man for Portugal.
His penalty finally broke the deadlock against Ghana as he became the first man to score in five World Cup final tournaments, while he also had a goal disallowed and headed over with a decent chance in the first half.
Ronaldo from the spot? Spot on.
A history-making goal as the 37-year-old becomes the only man to ever score at five different World Cup finals.#BBCWorldCup #BBCFootball #FifaWorldCup pic.twitter.com/3VqNlRIGk5
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 24, 2022
Andre Ayew’s equaliser briefly looked like it would spoil Portugal’s party, but a quickfire double from Joao Felix and substitute Rafael Leao restored the advantage before Osman Bukari hit a late second for Ghana.
Ronaldo is 7/2 to again score the first goal and will be a popular pick in Portugal v Uruguay betting tips.
Chance for Cavani
Uruguay are 16/5 underdogs but were the third best team in South American qualifying and will believe they are capable of getting a first win on the board.
They will need to improve in an attacking sense though after their game against South Korea failed to produce a shot on target, let alone a goal.
Diego Godin and the best player on the pitch Federico Valverde, from distance late on, were both denied by the woodwork but neither goalkeeper was sufficiently troubled.
Luis Suarez is a fading force and his World Cup swansong began inauspiciously as the former Liverpool and Barcelona striker, who turns 36 in January, looked a shadow of his former self.
He may be replaced here by Edinson Cavani who was more of a threat following his introduction and both teams to score can be backed at 20/21 in the Portugal v Uruguay odds, while over 2.5 goals is 6/5.
Cavani is 7/1 to open the scoring and 3/1 in the anytime scorer odds.
Tempers may flare
Portugal’s match against Ghana threatened to boil over at times and the meeting with Uruguay could be a feisty affair.
There were six yellow cards in Portugal’s opener and this could be an entertaining end-to-end match with Uruguay needing to show more of a goal threat.
For the last of our Portugal v Uruguay predictions, Coral’s #YourCall offer of 9/2 for over 2.5 goals, over 2.5 bookings and over 9.5 corners catches the eye.
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All odds and markets are correct as of the date of publication
