Portugal v Ghana: FIFA World Cup

Portugal v Ghana tonight from the Venue Estadio Nacional, Brasilia in a must win game for the Portuguese…

Portugal will welcome back Pepe after suspension, however they have injury concerns over Hugo Almeida and Helder Postiga plus injured Fabio Coentrao is already out of the tournament.

Ghana midfielder Sulley Muntari is suspended after picking up two bookings.

Michael Essien could come in to the side for his first start of the tournament, while right-back Daniel Opare is still out injured.

At least one of these sides will definitely be out of the World Cup come the final whistle of this match – and both will go if the USA and Germany draw.

Qualification is out of their hands, and Portugal and Ghana must win to have any chance of progressing.

Portugal were awful against Germany and central to their malaise has been Cristiano Ronaldo, whose frustration at his own fitness and his team-mates has been plain to see.

“We’re probably just an average team,” he said. “I’d be lying if I said we were a top team.”

Ghana could progress to the last 16 if they beat Portugal and Germany beat the Americans. However, should the US lose by one goal and Ghana win with the same scoreline then the US would go through by virtue of their better head-to-head record against the Black Stars. USA could also go through on goals scored if they are in a high scoring match.
The Africans could also qualify at the expense of the Germans if compatriot Jurgen Klinsmann’s United States side record a large victory.
Portugal, who needed a last-minute equaliser against the US to avoid being knocked out, must beat Ghana and overturn a five-goal difference on the Americans.

They have a real uphill struggle to overhaul the Americans in second place as they need a five-goal swing to rectify an inferior goal difference incurred after that thrashing by Germany.

Ghana’s chances are much more positive. Although they must win and hope the Germans beat the USA, they have a much better goal difference and are in better form than the Portuguese, as their superb second-half display against Germany showed.

Statistics….

Ghana and Portugal have never met in an international match.

Portugal

The draw with the USA represented the first time Portugal had failed to win a World Cup match after taking the lead.
They have won only one of their last nine World Cup games (D4, L4).
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 11 goals in his last 10 matches for Portugal, but none in his last three. He had seven shots against USA, but only one was on target.
He is the only player in Portugal’s squad with more than one World Cup goal. Hugo Almeida, Raul Meireles, Nani and Silvestre Varela have one.
Nani’s goal against USA was the first scored by Portugal in a World Cup match for 276 minutes.
Portugal recorded a pass accuracy of 88.1{70aeb3532cb26dbe277d25ea128ebb74de84b9bd22e1583b0eb1b73768e061f6} against USA, their best rate in a World Cup game since such records began in 1966.

Ghana

Ghana are one of only four teams to have taken part in more than one World Cup and not been eliminated in the group stage – along with Germany, Netherlands and Republic of Ireland.
Asamoah Gyan should make his 11th World Cup appearance, which would equal the African record held by Francois Omam Biyik of Cameroon.
Gyan has five World Cup goals and needs one more to overtake Roger Milla as the all-time top African goalscorer at the tournament. He is the only African to have scored in three World Cups.

Betting……

We’ve a great enhanced odds offer tonight……….get Portugal at a massive 4/1!!!!!

Plus in addition there’s Double Delight and Hat-trick Heaven!!!…..how’s that work…..well select your first goalscorer and if he scores first, then nets a second……..you get double the odds!!!!

If he nets a third……it’s TREBLE the odds!!!!