FOOTBALL

World Cup Predictions: Portugal vs Switzerland

Published

1 year ago

December 6, 2022

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Portugal and Switzerland will conclude the Round of 16 proceedings at the Qatar World Cup when they square off on Tuesday night at the Lusail Iconic Stadium.

Even though Portugal won their group, Seleção das Quinas will take the pitch on the back of a demoralising defeat against South Korea.

Contrarily, Switzerland can look back on a thrilling 3-2 win over Serbia in their final group fixture, which made sure Cameroon’s surprise 1-0 win over Brazil would not stop Team Nati from making it to the knockouts.

Portugal were on the course of securing the Group H top spot when Ricardo Horta put them ahead in the fifth minute against South Korea.

But a South Korean team fighting for World Cup survival proved too much to handle for Fernando Santos’s men. The Taegeuk Warriors scored twice to win the tie 2-1 and dent Portugal’s perfect record in the group stages.

However, the loss did not prove consequential as Ghana fell to a 2-0 defeat to Uruguay, leaving Cristiano Ronaldo and company at the top of the pile.

Santos will have to get his team selection spot on against a Swiss side that beat Portugal 1-0 at the UEFA Nations League a few months back.

Portugal did not make it past the Round of 16 since 2006. So, they should bring their A-game to the table if they are to end their World Cup misfortunes.

The Round of 16 has been an unsurpassable threshold for Switzerland as well.

They are yet to make it to the quarterfinals, despite playing in the knockout stage seven times in their World Cup history. But Murat Yakin’s men can believe they are the ones who can take a historic leap in their football history, at Portugal’s expense.

Switzerland have beaten Portugal, Spain, and the Czech Republic in competitive fixtures this season.

They also won two out of three matches in the World Cup so far and made life difficult for Brazil in their solitary 1-0 defeat. So, the Swiss are not here to make up the numbers.

Team News

Cristiano Ronaldo had a forgettable match against South Korea, but the 37-year-old will be back in the starting XI and get a chance to atone for his misses against South Korea.

Rúben Dias will return to the Portugal backline after being rested against South Korea. Diogo Dalot had his first World Cup start last match, and the fullback might get a recall because of his brilliant debut.

Otávio is yet to return to full fitness and might have to sit out another match.

Yann Sommer could not play against Serbia because of illness, but the goalkeeper is expected to return to action on Tuesday.

Other than that, Murat Yakin has no reason to change his starting XI as he has a fully fit squad at his disposal.

Our Prediction

Portugal should not have much trouble scoring against Switzerland, given their wealth of attacking talents.

But, they are equally vulnerable on the back.

It could be a frenetic affair, but Portugal might have the last laugh after a long fought battle.

We believe it will be a 3-2 win for Portugal after extra time.

Date: 7 December

Kickoff: 12:30 AM IST

Venue: Lusail Iconic Stadium

FOOTBALL

WATCH: Georgina Rodriguez makes huge claim on Cristiano Ronaldo’s retirement in Football

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Georgina Rodriguez made a huge claim on the future of her husband and star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, in Football. In a brief interaction with a host recently, Rodriguez was asked about the time left for Cristiano to make an impact at the highest level. Georgina looked honest in her approach to the question of the host and claimed something the fans would not love to hear.

Georgina claimed that the Portugal star has maybe one year more from him at the highest level. She felt that Ronaldo might play two more years before retiring and not more than that. She was however not sure if he would play for just one or two years and added that the Al Nassr star could also play more than that.

Watch the video of Georgina Rodriguez here –

🚨🎙️| Georgina Rodriguez on Cristiano Ronaldo’s future at Paris Fashion Week yesterday:

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know.”

(via @ArobaseGiovanny)pic.twitter.com/4dxw2j5DuC

— Pubity Sport (@pubitysport) March 3, 2024

“Cristiano one more year, then it’s over. Maybe two, I don’t know,” said Rodriguez in the little chat she had with the host. The video has gone viral on X and the fans have started sharing it on different platforms. Some of the fans feel that Georgina might be right, while others feel that she could be wrong, given the fitness and longevity of the star player.

Legacy of Cristiano Ronaldo

On the 5th of February, Ronaldo celebrated his 39th birthday. He is currently one of the oldest players in the world. In the past, players at this age would have retired way back. But the fitness and consistency of Ronaldo make him play the sport as long as he wishes. In his career so far, Ronaldo has won many major leagues for Portugal and league teams like Real Madrid, Al Nassr, and Manchester United.

With United, Portugal won some major leagues like the FA Cup and the Champions League. With Real Madrid, the 39-year-old won the leagues like the UCL, Copa Del Rey and La Liga. He won it three consecutive times for Real Madrid. For Portugal, Cristiano had a huge contribution to Portugal. He has the most number of appearances and goals for an international team and won the Euro 2016 with Portugal.

FOOTBALL

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham slapped with Red Card as he argued with referee

Published

2 months ago

March 3, 2024

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Jude Bellingham shown Red Card (Image Credit: Twitter)

England and Real Madrid player Jude Bellingham was slapped with a Red Card during the La Liga game against Valencia. In the game, the home team, Valencia was leading by 2-0 after 30 minutes before Madrid scored in the injury time of the first half. Vinicius Junior opened the scoring for Madrid while Hugo Duro (27′) and Roman Yaremchuk (30′) scored a goal each.

In the 76th minute, Junior scored an equalizer to keep the team in the game. However, in the injury time of the second half, Bellingham was given a red card as he argued with the referee against calling it a full-time before he could score. In reply, the match official decided to slap the England international with a Red Card. The team coach Carlo Ancelotti wasn’t happy with the verdict as the Three Lions player was making a pass at the time.

Jude Bellingham verbally abusing officials and other footballers at the slightest provocation needs to be talked about more. It’s embarrassing he gets applauded by Real Madrid Fans.

Mason Greenwood should’ve allowed La Liga to deal with this simp. pic.twitter.com/ixYSw6YxaC

— Herman Facundo© (@hermanfacundo_7) March 3, 2024

“I think what’s just happened is unprecedented. It’s never happened to me,” Ancelotti told reporters.

“We had possession of the ball and the match should have been finished when Valencia had the ball.

“What bothers us is the red card for Bellingham because he didn’t say anything insulting. He was frustrated of course,” said Ancelotti, adding that Bellingham had used a common English swearword when telling the referee it was a goal.

We are annoyed with Jude Bellingham’s Red Card: Carlo Ancelotti

“We were annoyed with Bellingham’s red card. He didn’t say any insults. He said in English ‘it’s a f—ing goal,’ but he was just saying what we were all thinking … [The referee] allowed play to continue. I think he made a mistake.”

“[Bellingham] was clear in what he said,” Ancelotti added. “He was quite vehement [in his reaction] but that’s normal, after what happened. It wasn’t an insult, not at all.”

FOOTBALL

PL 2023-24: MCFC vs MUFC Dream11 Prediction, Playing XI, Fantasy League Today’s Captain, Vice-Captain, and more for Manchester derby

Published

2 months ago

March 2, 2024

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Super Sunday is set to witness the Manchester Derby in the Premier League 2023-24. The match between Manchester City (MCFC) and Manchester United (MUFC) is set to take place in Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City. The two teams have had a contrasting journey in the league till now. The fortunes of City changed ever since Pep Guardiola took over the club as the manager.

While the home side are placed in the second position in the points table currently, United are in the sixth place in the points table. In their previous encounter, City hammered Luton Town by 6-2 in the FA Cup. United have shown massive improvements in the last few weeks after not having a good start to their campaign. United were involved in a thrilling game where they beat Nottingham Forrest by 1-0 in their last game.

Both teams feature some of the best players in the world. The likes of Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Marcus Rashford, Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, and others would be taking part in the match. Manchester City will start the match as the favourites, given their record in the ongoing league so far and the match taking place in their home. United with their improved record can challenge the home side.

MCFC vs MUFC – Match Details

Match – Manchester City (MCFC) vs Manchester United (MUFC), Premier League 2023-24

Venue – Etihad Stadium, Manchester

Date and Time – 3^rd March 2024, 21:00 IST

Live Coverage – Star Sports Network and Disney plus Hot Star

MCFC vs MUFC – Head-to-Head

Both the teams from Manchester have a rich history in the sport. they have been up against each other in 191 instances. In as many games, Manchester United have been historically the better side with 78 wins to their name. City have managed to win 60 wins, as 53 games ended in a draw. In the last five games between the two sides in the Premier League, City have won four of the five games.