Kick-off: 1900, 28/11/2022
Stadium: Lusail Iconic Stadium
TV: ITV
Portugal are expected to benefit from an opening World Cup triumph over Ghana when facing Uruguay, even if that was a slightly strange affair.
La Celeste failed to impress when drawing with South Korea and now look worth taking on in Lusail judged on that evidence.
We’re happy to go with 19/20 for a European success as our first Portugal vs Uruguay prediction.
Portugal Odds
Portugal were slow to warm up against Ghana but Cristiano Ronaldo raised the tempo when winning and then converting a 65th-minute penalty.
That opened the floodgates for a thrilling final third of the match, with Andrew Ayew briefly equalising for the Black Stars.
Joao Felix and eye-catching substitute Rafael Leao helped the Navigators to take control with a quickfire double before Fernando Santos rang the changes.
The experienced head coach was almost left to rue that decision when Osman Bukari pulled one back and Inaki Williams nearly embarrassed goalkeeper Diogo Costa, but Portugal prevailed 3-2.
Ronaldo, who became the first man to score in five World Cup final tournaments, said: “I am very happy that the team got a good result, it was a tough game but a good result.
“We started with our good foot. It is very important to win. We know that in these competitions our first match is crucial.”
The 2016 European champions have a proven record of improving on their early efforts at major tournaments and more is expected from them here.
Looking at the Portugal vs Uruguay odds, we were impressed by the positions taken up by Felix and the Atletico Madrid ace is a tempting 13/2 to open the scoring.
Uruguay Odds
Uruguay laboured through a goalless stalemate with South Korea and the lack of energy shown was of great cause for concern.
Federico Valverde was one of the few players to catch the eye and he hit the woodwork from distance late on, along with Diego Godin.
However, it was very much an uninspiring performance overall, with Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez unable to make much of an impact.
Godin, who will be 37 in February, became the oldest player ever to represent Urugay at a World Cup and he was not alone in looking his age.
Luis Suarez, Martin Caceres and Matias Vecino are others who have seen better days.
That issue could be highlighted even more against a lively Portuguese side featuring playmakers such as Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva.
Let’s add 19/5 for Draw HT/Portugal FT to our Portugal vs Uruguay betting tips.
Additional stats
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