Portugal vs Ghana prediction: WORLD: World Cup betting tips on match 2022-11-23 16:00.
Portugal begin their 2022 FIFA World Cup journey by embarking upon their sixth successive World Cup campaign and eighth overall, although theyâre yet to supersede the achievements of their very first crack at world football supremacy, with the bronze medal earned in 1966. Portugal will hope their aspirations of success in Qatar wonât be dismantled as easily as Stadium 974, the host of this match, will be after this World Cup, although just three wins from their last 13 matches at the World Cup finals show thereâs little room for error (D5, L5).
Long-time coach Fernando Santos will be emphasizing the need for a fast start to Group H then, something his side has failed to do in their last three World Cup editions (D2, L1). Portugal booked their place in Qatar with impressive performances against Turkey (W 3-1) and North Macedonia (W 2-0) in the World Cup Qualification play-offs though, and developing that âbig match temperamentâ could serve them well this time around.
Ghana boast the joint-best finish by an African country in the competitionâs history after their 2010 World Cup quarter-finals appearance, and they now make their fourth appearance at the World Cup finals after missing out on the 2018 edition. They will once again attempt to upset the apple cart in Group H, and having progressed from the group stages in two of their three finals appearances, you wouldnât bet against the perennial underdogs doing so again.
The Black Stars can spring an upset on any given day, as theyâve shown to exude attacking confidence by scoring in nine of their 12 World Cup finals matches. Theyâll have revenge on their mind here too, as the last of those was a 2-1 loss against Portugal in the 2014 World Cup!
Players to watch: Portugal will be hoping the worldâs most prolific international scorer Cristiano Ronaldo can put his club drama behind him, as he aims to become the only player ever to score in five different FIFA World Cup tournaments. Meanwhile, Ghanaâs influential Jordan Ayew will hope to be their good luck charm, having lost only once in 14 scoring appearances for his country (W12, D1).
Hot stat: The same half-time result has been replicated come full-time in 12 of Portugalâs last 15 matches.
World Cup trivia: This could be the last FIFA World Cup where a 32-team format is used, as the competition will be expanded to 48 teams from 2026.