World Cup Predictions: Portugal vs Switzerland

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