Portugal: plenty of possession, but too little cutting edge

Portugal were left frustrated in their opening match after being held by DR Congo. Roberto Martínez’s side controlled the ball for long stretches, but their dominance rarely turned into genuine attacking threat. DR Congo defended with great discipline, alternating between a 5-3-2 and a 5-4-1 shape, shutting down space and making life difficult for the Portuguese forwards.

A major problem for Portugal was the lack of threat down the right-hand side in the first half, while Cristiano Ronaldo struggled to influence the game consistently. The introduction of Francisco Conceição added much-needed energy, as he created two chances after the break and now looks a strong candidate to start. Rúben Dias is expected to return to the back line, but defensive concerns remain: Portugal have now conceded in six of their last eight matches, and the lack of a true holding midfielder continues to leave the team vulnerable in transition.

Uzbekistan: encouraging debut, but defensive flaws were exposed

Uzbekistan’s first-ever World Cup appearance ended in a 3-1 defeat to Colombia, though there were still positives to take. Fabio Cannavaro’s side showed character, managed to create a handful of chances, and found the net through Abbosbek Fayzullaev. Late in the game, Akmal Mozgovoy also came close to setting up a nervy finish when he struck the woodwork.

That said, Uzbekistan still looked short of attacking sharpness overall, and their set-piece threat — usually an important weapon for underdogs — was among the weakest of all teams in the opening round. Changes to the lineup now look very possible. Goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov made a costly mistake for Colombia’s second goal, which could open the door for Abduvohid Nematov. At left-back, Farrukh Sayfiev may replace Behruz Karimov after a difficult outing against Luis Díaz. There is also concern over Rustam Ashurmatov’s fitness, and if the key center-back is unavailable, Jahongir Urozov may be called upon to step in.

Probable lineups

Portugal: Costa, Araújo, Dias, Mendes, Cancelo, Vitinha, Neves, Neto, Fernandes, Conceição, Ronaldo.

Uzbekistan: Nematov, Abdullaev, Khusanov, Urozov, Sayfiev, Shukurov, Mozgovoy, Nasrullaev, Fayzullaev, Urunov, Shomurodov.

Key facts and head-to-head

At least nine corners have been awarded in 12 of Portugal’s last 15 World Cup matches.

No more than three yellow cards have been shown in six of Uzbekistan’s last eight World Cup and World Cup qualifying matches.

Both teams have scored in five of Portugal’s last eight matches and in five of Uzbekistan’s last seven games.

Portugal and Uzbekistan have never faced each other before.

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