Portugal and Ghana are set to clash in a mouthwatering 2022 World Cup Group H opener on Thursday 24th November.
The match will kick off at 4pm, at Stadium 974 in the capital city of Doha.
Portugal qualified for their eighth World Cup after finishing runners up behind Serbia in their qualifying group, before beating North Macedonia 2-0 in a play-off match.
Their best finish came all the way back in 1966 when they finished third and in the last World Cup they went out at the Round of 16.
Ghana qualified for their fourth World Cup after topping their qualifying group, before winning on away goals in a 1-1 aggregate draw over a two-legged play-off with Nigeria.
Their best finish came in 2010 when they reached the Quarter Finals, with their last appearance coming in 2014.
Portugal hammered Nigeria 4-0 in their last warm-up match before flying to Qatar, offering some encouragement to their fans after a poor run of form.
But Ghana arrived on the Arabian Peninsula with wind in their sails too after beating Switzerland 2-0 in a friendly.
The Black Stars landed in Qatar as the lowest ranked side in the competition, 61st in the FIFA World Rankings, however as their past performances have shown they will prove more than a match for whoever they play.
This will be the first meeting between Portugal and Ghana since 2014 when the two teams played at the World Cup. Portugal ran out 2-1 winners back then.
Team News:
Portugal have their full 26-man squad to choose from here. Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t play a part in the 4-0 friendly win over Nigeria, but is more than certain to start.
Ghana have their full 26-man squad to choose from here. Thomas Partey and Mohammed Kudus were unused substitutes in Ghana’s 2-0 friendly win over Switzerland in the lead up to this game, but are both likely start.
Predicted starting line-ups:
Portugal
GK Costa; Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Pepe, Mendes; Bruno Fernández, Carvalho, Ruben Neves; Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo, Leao
Ghana
GK Lawrence Ati-Zigi; Tariq Lamptey, Mohammed Salisu, Daniel Amartey, Baba Rahman; Abdul Samed Salis, Thomas Partey, Mohammed Kudus, Jordan Ayew, Andre Ayew, Inaki Williams
