Our Group B team analysis continues with 2016 European Championship winners Portugal, who will be making a seventh World Cup appearance – their fifth in a row – this summer.
Portugal’s curtain-raiser is against Spain in Sochi on Friday June 15, with this 7pm encounter between the Iberian rivals likely to be crucial in determining who finishes as group winners.
A 1pm fixture against Morocco in Moscow follows five days later, before Portugal round off their group campaign on Monday June 25 by taking on Iran in Saransk in another 7pm kick-off.
Road to Qualification
After their unexpected success in France two years ago, Portugal were brought back down to earth with a bump in their opening UEFA Group B qualification group match against Switzerland in September 2016.
Two unanswered first-half goals condemned Fernando Santos to his first competitive defeat as national team manager, leaving Portugal to play catch-up against group leaders Switzerland for the rest of the campaign.
Nine successive wins, including a final-day 2-0 victory over the Swiss, was enough to see Portugal through as group winners on goal difference. Just three teams (Belgium, Germany and Spain) scored more goals than Portugal (32) in UEFA qualification, while only England and Spain conceded less than the Portuguese (four) in their ten group matches.
Most starts: Rui Patricio (10), Andre Silva (9), Cristiano Ronaldo, Pepe, Jose Fonte (8), Joao Mario, William Carvalho (7), Cedric Soares, Joao Moutinho (6), Raphael Guerreiro, Bernardo Silva (5)
Most goals: Cristiano Ronaldo (15), Andre Silva (9), William Carvalho (2)
Most assists: Cristiano Ronaldo, Ricardo Quaresma, Bernardo Silva (3), Raphael Guerreiro, Gelson Martins (2)
The Key Targets
There is only one place to start. At £8.2m, Cristiano Ronaldo is the joint-most expensive player on Fantasy iTeam’s World Cup game, alongside Lionel Messi. Ronaldo is also priced up at a joint-high £12.0m on McDonald’s FIFA, but many Fantasy managers will be undeterred by the cost.
Only Robert Lewandowski (16) scored more World Cup qualifying goals in Europe than Ronaldo (15), who also provided three assists for his team-mates. The 2017 Ballon d’Or winner registered 26 goals in 27 La Liga appearances this season, scoring on a further 15 occasions in the UEFA Champions League.
Portugal were rudderless without Ronaldo in the 2-0 loss to Switzerland in qualification, though, of course, also played 95 minutes of their 2016 European Championship final against France without their injured talisman.
Whether Santos opts for a 4-4-2, 4-1-3-2 or even 4-3-3 formation is immaterial to Ronaldo’s prospects: the 33-year-old captain will start up top, probably alongside Andre Silva (£7.5m on Fantasy iTeam | £9.0m on McDonald’s FIFA), and be afforded the freedom to drift from centre to wide left.
Andre Silva has had an indifferent debut season at AC Milan, scoring only twice in 24 Serie A appearances, but his record at international level is exemplary.
The 22-year-old forward, who has been strongly linked with a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers, scored nine goals in as many fixtures for Portugal during qualification, a tally which included a hat-trick against the Faroe Islands in October 2016. He also scored in last night’s 2-2 friendly draw against Tunisia.
Santos’ preference for a narrow 4-4-2 or variations thereof, such as a 4-1-3-2 or midfield diamond, means that Bernardo Silva (£6.7m on Fantasy iTeam | £8.0m on McDonald’s FIFA) operates in a different position for his national team than the one Fantasy managers are used to seeing him play at Manchester City.
Generally utilised by Pep Guardiola on the wide left or right of a front three, Silva will be forced to play a more withdrawn role for Portugal in a tight midfield quartet. Despite his unusual deployment, Silva still managed to supply three assists in five qualification appearances.
Man of the match in the Euro 2016 final, Pepe (£6.0m on Fantasy iTeam | £6.0m on McDonald’s FIFA) will once again be the rock of the Portuguese defence. At 35 years of age, Pepe’s best days are behind him, but his importance to the national team was illustrated in March’s friendly meeting with the Netherlands: without Pepe at centre-half, Portugal succumbed to a humiliating 3-0 home defeat.
No Portuguese defender played more fixtures than the former Real Madrid stopper in World Cup qualification.
Rui Patricio (£6.0m on Fantasy iTeam | £6.0m on McDonald’s FIFA) is a solid pair of hands and a cast-iron certainty to start in goal, having featured in all ten of Portugal’s qualification matches. The Sporting CP goalkeeper has also been linked with a move to Wolves this summer, though Napoli appear to have stolen a march in the race for his signature.
The Long Shots
Cedric Soares (£5.8m on Fantasy iTeam | £5.5m on McDonald’s FIFA) is a familiar name to Fantasy managers and one that is often coupled with the word “punt”. The Southampton defender seemingly has the nod over Leicester City’s new signing Ricardo Pereira at right-back, having started five of Portugal’s final six qualifying matches and playing all 120 minutes of his country’s 1-0 European Championship final win over France in 2016.
Width from the full-back positions is crucial to the Portuguese team, given Santos’ propensity to funnel his midfield through the centre. Soares supplied three assists in his final seven league appearances for Southampton this season, highlighting his strength as a creative outlet from defence.
Another erstwhile Premier League player, albeit one who only made four appearances for Chelsea in 2009, Ricardo Quaresma (£6.9m on Fantasy iTeam | £8.0m on McDonald’s FIFA) is in the twilight of his career. At 34 years of age, the Besiktas winger will surely start Portugal’s opening group match on the bench and likely be an impact player at best. Should Portugal need to find goals in their fixtures against Iran and Morocco, however, Quaresma could see an increased amount of pitch time.
No Portugal player provided more assists in qualifying than the former Porto and Inter Milan wide-man (three), who was also the creator of both of Ronaldo’s stoppage-time goals in their country’s 2-1 friendly win over Egypt in March.
Areas to Avoid
Whoever lines up alongside Pepe in the centre of defence would seem to be an obvious weak spot. Jose Fonte and Bruno Alves (both £5.7m 0n Fantasy iTeam | £5.5m and £5.0m respectively on McDonald’s FIFA) have a combined age of 70 and now ply their trades in China and Scotland respectively. Fonte appears likely to get the nod, having started eight of Portugal’s qualification matches.
Overall, Portugal’s opening group fixture against in-form Spain would seemingly be one to avoid from a Fantasy perspective. Once that stern test is out of the way, matches against Morocco and Iran represent more appealing fixtures for Portugal supporters and Fantasy managers alike.
Upcoming Friendlies
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Further Analysis
Our comprehensive World Cup guide can be found here.
Group A – Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group B – Iran, Morocco, Portugal, Spain
Group C – Australia, Peru, France, Denmark
Group D – Argentina, Iceland, Croatia, Nigeria
Group E – Brazil, Costa Rica, Switzerland, Serbia
Group F – Mexico, Germany, Sweden, South Korea
Group G – Belgium, Panama, Tunisia, England
Group H – Senegal, Japan, Poland, Colombia
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