FT World Cup 2018: Round of 16 Preview [Portugal vs Uruguay]

The Portugal vs Uruguay could easily be the most testy fixture of the Round of 16 as it will be a La Liga reunion for Cristiano as the Real Madrid forward battles against rival Atletico defenders Diego Godin and Jose Giminez. Similar for Luis Suarez on the opposite side who will undoubtedly end of up in a pissing match with Pepe. Portugal will be looking to provide better offensive support for Cristiano, as he has scored all of their goals in the tournament so far. Bernardo Silva, Gelson Martins, and Goncalo Guedes have been largely unimpactful in Russia and will need to step up if Uruguay’s back 4 are to be tested.

Portugal

"SIIIIIII." Cristiano Ronaldo

Say what you want about Ronaldo’s impact in build up play this tournament so far, Portugal obviously could care less. They have a clear team strategy that has proven very effective for them in recent international competitions, and ultimately was the major factor in them winning Euro 2016 (at least getting to the finals). Even when his finishing lets him down every now and then, Cristiano is much too potent of a scoring threat, simply because of his range. And I don’t mean shooting range, even thought that’d be more than applicable here. I mean his range and ability to score with variety. Real Madrid’s star man is an extremely dangerous threat from 30 yards out on either foot, is a dead ball specialist and is very strong using his head. This makes him a threat on any corner kick or cross into the oppositions box. Having already scored in Russia through each of the avenues I have just described, Ronaldo will be looking to add to his 4 goals and lead Portugal into the Quarter Finals.

William Carvalho

The holding or defensive midfield position in football is similar to the Corner Back position in American football in the fact that at times, the player occupying the position may be doing his or her best work when no one is mentioning them during the match. Carvalho has easily been one of the best midfielders so far this tournament, due to his ability to read the game, cover ground, and completely alter the oppositions playing style at times in Russia. Not only is he very strong in the tackle, but does the running of two men for Portugal. As Uruguay are a team that pride themselves in their grit and an industry, Carvalho will be a key player for Portugal as he will have to help keep track of Edison Cavani and Luis Suarez as they both drop deep to find the ball at times on Saturday.

Experience

Euro 2016 marked the tournament for me where Portugal can no longer be seen as anything other than contenders in major international competitions. Before winning the 2016 European Championship, they may have had an early exit in World Cup 2014, but prior to that, they made it to the Semi Finals in Euro 2012, the Quarter Finals in Euro 2008, and the Finals of Euro 2004. They also made it to the Semi Finals of World Cup 2006. Cristiano Ronaldo captains the current Portugal side and is the most familiar with his team’s recent successes, as he has seen his nations growth and establishment on the international stage. Portugal should be confident and have proven to themselves time and time again that they have the fight needed to progress at this stage.

 

Uruguay

They have the best defense in the tournament

Even though they will be looking at their star striker pairing of Suarez and Cavani to score against Portugal, both have perhaps been a bit overshadowed by the sheer might of Uruguay’s defensive prowess. “The holy grail of football is the word “balance”” Uruguayan coach Oscar Tabarez told reporters after his side’s 3-0 win against Russia. The Atletico Madrid defensive pairing of Diego Godin and Jose Giminez has seen Uruguay keep a shutout in each of their 3 group stage matches. Portugal will have a tall test come Saturday.

Suarez and Cavani Partnership

In their biggest defensive test thus far (spain) they yielded 3 goals. They have a potent offense in Suarez and Cavani who so far have 3 goals combined in Russia and are heating up a just the right time. Pepe and Fonte have good chemistry but will have a tough time keep up with the relentless movement of both of Uruguay’s talismanic strikers on Saturday.

Set Pieces

World Cup 2018 has been a tournament of set pieces, and Uruguay will know this more than anyone having scored all 5 of their group stage goals from set pieces. Portugal have already given up 2 goals from dead ball situations in Russia, and Uruguay will be looking to win this game by any means necessary

UCL Road to Kiev Final: Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich

The stars seemed to be aligned for Madrid this season. After eliminating two perennial Champions League favorites in PSG and Juventus in the previous knockout rounds, Zidane’s men are 90 minutes away from a third consecutive Champions League final. What has been key for Real Madrid has been their ability to score goals in crucial moments during these matches. The first leg was massively disappointing for Jupp Heynckes’s men and they must feel frustrated having to arrive in Madrid with a 2-1 deficit to overturn. Lewandowski will be hoping for a better performance in the second leg and with a returning David Alaba and Javi Martinez, Bayern may be able to do what PSG and Juventus previously failed to do.

Both sides rested their key players at the weekend, with Heynckes going as far as rotating 8 different players into the lineup for their Bundesliga game. Bayern won comfortably regardless of the rotations, defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 4-1. Zidane also had the luxury of resting his key players with La Liga beyond Madrid at this point of the season, and his side won 2-1 at the weekend against Leganes.  Bayern have already won the Bundesliga title and the DFB Cup final also awaits them, but the Champions League is the trophy they will want to win the most this season. Madrid have nothing left to play for other than defending their European dominance for a second straight time, which has yet to be accomplished or even attempted in the modern Champions League era. James Rodriguez vs Isco will be the duel that could prove key for both sides because both players will be looking to provide that spark for their goal-scorers in Lewandowski and Cristiano. With a goal at the weekend for Madrid, Gareth Bale may also have a say in this tie, however, Marco Asensio and Lucas Vasquez have both provided valuable contributions so far in the knockout rounds. Bayern may rue all of the chances they missed in the first leg, but they will know that Madrid have proved vulnerable at home after seeing Juventus come within minutes of victory in the last tie.

Cristiano failed to score for the first time in a Champions League game this season, which is an incredible statistic, but he will look to score in the second leg to lead his team to the final in Kiev.

Lewandowski’s future has been subject to intense speculation these last few months, which can sometimes unsettle a player, but he will certainly put in a better performance in the second leg for his potential new employers

Bayern will be without key men Arturo Vidal and Arjen Robben in the second leg. Madrid will also be without key man Dani Carvajal. It will be interesting to see how Zidane covers that position knowing that Ribery was one of Bayern’s best players in the first leg.

Derby Weekend-Sunday: Which Real Madrid will show up against a resurgent Atletico

Los Blancos are now clearly one of the favorites to win the Uefa Champions League for the third time in a row after Cristiano Ronaldo helped them dismiss PSG 5-2 and also put them in position to qualify for the semi-finals in bicycle style, winning 3-0 at Juventus. However, the prospects have not been as exciting back home, after a slow start to the La Liga season that saw them fail to beat any of their main title rivals, losing 3-0 to Barcelona at home and drawing 0-0 with Atletico at Wanda Metropolitano. They now sit third on the log, four points adrift of Atletico and thirteen behind the Catalans. Their form has drastically improved, winning 8 of their previous 9 league games but the title is now realistically out of reach and a second place finish might save Zidane some blushes. Sunday’s derby will be what it has always been about, pride more than the points.

Real will face a tricky Atletico who are also fairly confident after putting themselves in a good position to qualify for the Europa League semi-finals after beating Sporting CP 2-0 on Thursday. Atletico might still be looking bag as many points as possible hoping that Barcelona might unlikely slip giving them second chance at the title. Diego Simeone’s men have won the three of the last eleven at the Bernabeu after having waited since 1999 to beat Los Blancos away from home.

Griezmann, Costa, Ronaldo, Bale or Isco? Who will draw first blood? Join the conversation in the comment box below.

Real Madrid Qualifies to UCL Quarterfinals

The main man Cristiano Ronaldo was on target as Real Madrid saw out PSG in a 2-1 win in the return leg of the clash away from home. This result means that Paris Saint-Germain have been knocked out of the competition in the round of 16 which defies their ambitious target of going all the way and win the competition. The Parisians have undeniably invested a lot in their club in the summer of 2017 and were hopeful that the team could mount a challenge but they were exposed by Madrid and showed the lack of experience and hunger that is required at this level. Maybe the tale could have been different if Neymar was not injured, but the coach Unai Emery will be left to bemoan his decision to rush the player back to the lineup in that match which he got injured. Cavani had brought the teams on level terms when he scored a deflected goal before Casemiro scored the winner against 10 men when Verratti picked up a second yellow for a silly reaction after failing to win a foul. Madrid have booked a seat in the next round, along with Liverpool who eliminated FC Porto with a 5-0 aggregate on the same night. For more insight on the match, continue reading at Goal.

Countdown to Russia 2018

The buzz of the World’s most popular soccer tournament has already started with only a century of sleeps left before the tournament commences as the hosts, Russia face Saudi Arabia in a match from Group A. Talk has already begun on who looks set to get a call up to the squads. Fringe players have started to mount pressure on their managers and those that were not happy with their clubs have already pushed for moves in the January transfer window. England fans are already dreaming of winning the tournament which has evaded them for the longest time. About 16 teams from the 32 that are competing in this year’s World Cup have already released their kits. What about the famous VAR? Is this technology ready to be implemented in such a tournament?

Di Maria Up For Madrid

The Argentine wing wizard has been a consistent performer for the Parisians prior to the arrival of the most expensive teenager, Kylian Mbappe. Angelo Di Maria relishes the opportunity to showcase his talent against his former club in Real Madrid. He is almost guaranteed a start since Neymar is injured and Mbappe would likely move to his favorite position on the left to make up an attacking trio with Edinson Cavani. Di Maria lost his place in the starting 11 but that does not mean that he is less of a great player because he has shown what he is capable of whenever the starters are rested. This opportunity to take part in a huge game has come at the expense of his teammate but the winger will most likely take it with both hands and make the most of it. The club need to overturn their 3-1 defeat and the Argentine is the perfect replacement for Neymar as he will be extra-motivated to perform at the big stage against his former club.

Ronaldo Gears Up For UCL

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 300th La Liga goal in a 3-1 win against Getafe. The striker scored 2 goals after Gareth Bale had scored the opener. Portillo scored the consolation goal for Getafe as he placed a 65th minute penalty beyond Keylor Navas. Ronaldo won the man of the match award ahead of a PSG test who are still moaning over the loss of their star player Neymar who got injured in their game against Marseille. The season for the Portuguese looked like it would be one of his worst worst as he was not scoring as many goals as usual but his performances in the last couple of games prove that the player is geared and ready for a title push in the last stage of the season. Can he inspire Madrid to a 3rd Champions League in a row?

Special: Ronaldo equals Messi’s five Ballon d’Or wins

Cristiano Ronaldo was crowned 2017 best football player in the world. He now equals Messi’s five Ballon d’Or wins and sits level with the Argentinian atop the footballing elite. Cristiano enjoyed another standout campaign as he led Real Madrid to their first La Liga BBVA title in 5 years, tallying 25 goals and 6 assists. Perhaps, even more impressive were his 12 Champions League goals that helped secure Madrid their third trophy CL trophy in 3 years. The 2017 Ballon marked the seventh time in seven years that both the Portuguese Star and Messi finished in the top two for the award. You’d have to go back to 2007 for the last time another player won the award, when Kaka lifted the trophy after a legendary season with AC Milan.

With the 2018 World Cup on the horizon, it’s hard not to imagine Ronaldo and Messi are itching at another opportunity to distinguish themselves as the best once more. As for 2017, players who placed after first and second were Brazil’s Neymar at third and Juventus’ Buffon at fourth. Hear more from Cristiano on his special moment and checkout a Complete 2017 list of Ballon d'Or rankings with club/country.