The Black Stars face Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal to open their Qatar 2022 campaign.
Portugal's match against Gjan will depend on Ronaldo and Partey.
Portugal's World Cup campaign gets underway against Ghana on Thursday night in Doha's Stadium 974. The Selecao are in Group H with South Korea, Ghana, and Uruguay.
Portugal will aim to outperform their World Cup 2018 performance, as they were eliminated by Uruguay in the second round.
The Selecao is one of the competition's favorites, but they have only ever advanced to the semifinals twice (1966 and 2006).
After missing the 2018 edition in Russia, Ghana is now back on the grandest platform for the first time in eight years. The Black Stars have qualified for the World Cup four times since their initial appearance in 2006.
With two prior World Cup appearances, including the 2010 World Cup, where they advanced to the quarterfinals, Ghana has a respectable track record.
The two teams will face once more at the World Cup after their first meeting, which Portugal won 2-1, occurred in 2014.
Portuguese play (WWLWLW)
Ghana's manner (WDLLWW)
After winning their pre-tournament warm-up games, both teams enter the contest in excellent shape. Ghana astonished Switzerland, and Portugal defeated Nigeria handily.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Ronaldo has dominated the pregame hype, but not for football-related reasons. The 37-year-old is in the news because of the explosive interview he gave to Piers Morgan in which he disparaged Erik Ten Hag and Manchester United.
Ronaldo is entirely focused on Portugal even though the interview has now cost him his job after United canceled his contract by mutual consent.
Prior to United's announcement, Ronaldo spoke to the media and stated that his interview would not prevent Portugal from scoring their goal. Ronaldo is playing in his fifth and likely final World Cup. But he wants to go out on a positive note.
Bernardo Silva
Bernardo Silva is another player who will be important for Portugal. Silva is one of the team's most seasoned players with 73 caps and eight goals to his record. He has two goals and five assists in 14 league appearances for Manchester City this season, thus he enters the competition in excellent form.
Silva's versatility at advanced positions makes him an invaluable asset for Portugal. If Portugal wants to win in Qatar, his ingenuity and productivity will be crucial.
Ashik Williams
After qualifying for the World Cup, Ghana was able to persuade a few players with Ghanaian ancestry to switch their international allegiance.
Inaki Williams, one of the players, was created in Spain by parents from Ghana. He changed his country of citizenship though, and he will now be responsible for scoring goals for Ghana.
The Athletic Bilbao forward is anticipated to lead the line for the Black Stars, and if they are to advance, his performance up front will be crucial.
John Partey
If Ghana is to have any chance of winning, the Arsenal star's experience playing alongside captain Andre Ayew will be crucial. After a great start to the season with Arsenal, Partey enters the tournament full of optimism despite the difficult job of winning the battle in the middle of the field.
Portugal's sole significant trophy was the Euro 2016 won by Fernando Santos, however he has always faced criticism for his unfavorable style of play. Given that Portugal has one of the strongest teams in the competition, Santos will have pressure to alter his playing strategy during the game.
While everything is going on, Ghana will be hoping that Otto Addo's coaching background at Borussia Dortmund would aid them in their attempt to advance from a challenging group. Although Addo will captain Ghana in Qatar, he also serves as Dortmund's assistant coach, which might be useful in World Cup situations.
Prediction for Portugal vs. Ghana
Ghana will undoubtedly battle hard, just like they did in previous World Cups, but they might not be able to handle Portugal's excellent team.
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