Portugal and Ghana had to expend a lot of energy in their previous draws, earning them their first points of the World Cup and keeping their World Cup dreams alive going into the group-stage finale. A lot will have to go right for either team on Thursday to get through to the round of 16.
World Cup Odds: Portugal +125, Ghana +180, Draw +290
Why Portugal Can Win
Simply put, Portugal is never out of a game with Cristiano Ronaldo on the pitch, even if he is half-fit. He had seven shots against the United States, and just two were on target. However, it was the captain that delivered one of the prettiest crosses you will ever see to Varela to give Portugal a 2-2 draw and even though he hasn’t been right because of a leg injury he suffered late in the campaign with Real Madrid, Ronaldo is still a game-changer who can make something out of nothing. He got some help from Nani, who scored the opener, but Portugal needs Ronaldo to be special to get to the next round.
It may be too late, however, as Portugal has been hit hard at the back. Keeper Rui Patricio and Fabio Coentrao are injured, Pepe missed the USA game because of his red card against Germany and Joao Pereira just hasn’t been very good. This could all come back to haunt Portugal. With a goal difference of -4, they’ll need to win by a lot to even have a shot.
Why Ghana Can Win
Ghana is absolutely fearless and they’ll need that against Portugal. In both games against Germany and the United States, they have gotten more shots than their opponents and they improved getting the ball on target against Germany as they were dreadful there against the United States. Abedi Pele, the Ghanaian legend, must have been very proud as son Andre Ayew was excellent against Germany, threatening them every chance he got and he now has two goals in the World Cup. Little brother Jordan was also very good when he came on as a sub, and he could start this match. Asamoah Gyan finally got a World Cup goal in this tournament and the captain now has 41 for his country.
But like most of the other teams in this tournament, Ghana is shaky at the back and if it wasn’t for 23-year-old defender Jonathan Mensah, Germany probably would have scored two or three more; he made a number of crucial clearances. As entertaining as Ghana is to watch, it hurts them at the back.
Outlook
This is the first meeting for these two countries and they have to lay it all out on the line in Brazil on Thursday. It should be a wide open game with plenty of chances and some goals, but while Portugal will win it, they won’t win by enough to get to the next stage as their defense will allow Ghana to break them down.
Pick: Portugal
