The Portugal team faces Switzerland, starting at 4 pm (Brasília time) this Tuesday (6) at the Lusail Stadium, in search of a place in the quarterfinals of the Qatar Cup. For forward Cristiano Ronaldo’s team, this would be a great achievement, as the Portuguese have not reached this stage of the competition since the 2006 World Cup (Germany).
The coach of the Portuguese team, Fernando Santos, acknowledged, in a press conference last Monday (5), the long absence of his country in the quarterfinals of a World Cup: “There has been a long hiatus. What matters is this match. Portugal always has an obligation to win”.
Bring the ??????. ??
? LOADING: ??✖??#VesteBandeira #WearTheFlag pic.twitter.com/OAivbX1Irx
— Portugal (@selecaoportugal) December 5, 2022
For this match, there is great expectation around Cristiano Ronaldo, who, even with only one goal in the competition, is the great star of the team. But it is impossible not to consider the great moment of midfielder Bruno Fernandes, top scorer (with two goals) and leader of assists (with two passes to goal) of the team.
However, on the other side of the lawn will be a Switzerland that knows the way of acting in Portugal. The two teams faced each other in the UEFA Nations League in June this year, with the Portuguese triumphing 4-1 in the first leg in Lisbon, but losing 1-0 in Geneva in the return.
According to striker Xherdan Shaqiri, it is not possible to make a connection between this Tuesday’s game and the previous matches, as they have a completely different character: “In my opinion it will be completely different, because it is not a friendly, it is not the League of Nations, the pressure is high, and so it is now important that we deal with this pressure”.
And the Chicago Fire (United States) player says that to qualify, a perfect performance is needed against a team like Portugal: “We need a special performance. Portugal is a good team, and I consider them the favorites in this game, but we also know our qualities”.
But the last day of the round of 16 of the Qatar Cup will start at 12h, when Spain and Morocco face each other at the Education City Stadium. The Moroccans arrive motivated, after reaching the round of 16 with the best campaign in Group F.
— Team du Maroc (@EnMaroc) December 4, 2022
This is not the first time that the African team has qualified for the round of 16, the feat was already achieved in 1986 (Mexico). However, the victory over Belgium, one of the favorites to take the title in Qatar, filled Morocco with enthusiasm for the rest of the competition.
However, coach Walid Regragui said in a press conference last Monday that he expects a lot of difficulty against Spain, “one of the best teams in the world”, which has all the favoritism.
? AHÍ VAN UNAS PHOTAZAS DEL ENTRENO!!
? But I’m going to save a special one for later…#VamosEspaña ?? #Qatar2022 pic.twitter.com/4vxFuKs8kQ
— Selección Española de Futbol (@SEFutbol) December 5, 2022
Trying to avoid any risk of his team getting carried away by exaggerated optimism, former player Luis Enrique, coach of Spain, recalled in an interview that his team must keep an eye on the Africans, who arrive “very motivated after a group stage Amazing”.
