Tipped as one of the pre-tournament favourites, Portugal will begin their World Cup campaign against Ghana in their opening Group H fixture. The Ghanaians have impressed in their recent outings but may find it difficult matching up to the superior quality of the Portuguese.
The build-up to Portugal's arrival in Qatar has been mostly about Cristiano Ronaldo's explosive interview. With two other Manchester United players in the squad, there has been talk of a division in the camp, although all parties have vehemently issued denials.
Portugal have had a fine period of success under Fernando Santos, although the manager is often criticised for his defensive style of play. Having won the European Championships in 2016 and the inaugural UEFA Nations League in 2019, they will be keen to have a proper go at the World Cup in what is likely to be Ronaldo’s final major tournament.
Beyond Ronaldo, Portugal boast a supremely talented squad that includes Bruno Fernandes, Joao Felix and Bernardo Silva. They claimed a 4-0 victory over West African side Nigeria in their final friendly before the World Cup with Fernandes netting a brace.
Ghana have only made three appearances at the World Cup, progressing to the knockout stage on two occasions. They were one Luis Suarez hand ball away from reaching the semi-final in 2010 and will be looking to recapture that spirit in Qatar.
The West Africans have had their problems in recent times and crashed out of the group stage of the AFCON in January after failing win a single match. However, manager Otto Addo appears to be helping them find their feet again and they head into Thursday’s opener off the back of a 2-0 friendly victory over Switzerland.
Ghana have a talented squad of players having recruited players of Ghanaian decent like Inaki Williams and Tariq Lamptey. However, they are not known for being prolific and could find things difficult against Portugal, who have a reputation for being difficult to break down.
How the bookies view it
Portugal are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a win priced at 2/5 with Betfred. A victory for Ghana is valued at 10/1 by Coral while a draw is set at odds of 4/1 by Unibet.
Head to head
Portugal claimed a 2-1 victory over Ghana when both teams met in the group stage of the 2014 World Cup with Cristiano Ronaldo netting the winner.
Players to watch
Despite the plethora of quality in the Portugal squad, Cristiano Ronaldo remains their biggest attacking threat. Given recent developments, the striker may have something to prove in Qatar and could be backed to get on the score sheet at 6/5 with bet365.
Portugal are usually solid at the back and have kept four clean sheets in their last six matches across all competitions. Pepe and Ruben Dias are likely to partner in central defence and can lead the Portuguese to another clean sheet at 8/11 with Betfred.
Anything else catch the eye?
Portugal have won to nil in four of their last six matches and could be set for a repeat at 26/25 with Unibet. Given their result against Nigeria, the Portuguese can also be backed in the -1 handicap market at 23/20 with Betfred.
Portugal have scored in both halves in two of their last three matches and Thursday’s clash could be tipped to follow a similar pattern at 6/4 with Unibet.
This World Cup match between Portugal and Ghana will be played on Nov 24, 2022 and kick off at 16:00. Check below for our tipsters best Portugal vs Ghana prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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