Stadium 974 will play host to Friday's FIFA World Cup game between Portugal and Ghana. The game kicks off at 3:00 am with Portugal heading into the game as favourites with the bookmakers. Continue reading for our in-depth preview of the Portugal vs. Ghana game and give you our free tips and bets.

When: Friday November 25, 2022 at 3:00 am

Where: Stadium 974

Bet 💰: Bet On This Match HERE

Portugal vs Ghana Odds

Portugal vs Ghana Preview

A World Cup qualifying campaign that started as a routine stroll for Portugal turned into something of a nail-biting experience for their supporters.

Five wins and a draw away at chief rivals Serbia in their first six matches meant Portugal needed only to beat already-eliminated Ireland and avoid defeat at home to the Serbs to earn automatic qualification.

Instead, they were frustrated by Ireland in a 0-0 draw and then produced a nervy display at home to Serbia, where an early goal for the hosts served only to make them go into ‘sit and protect’ mode. A first-half equaliser from Dusan Tadic saw Portugal increasingly edge back to defend the 1-1 scoreline that would see them qualify, but, after a series of warning shots, Aleksandar Mitrovic sparked delirium in the away end as he headed home in the 90th-minute to condemn Portugal to the playoffs.

However, Fernando Santos’ men refused to repeat their mistake in the playoff rounds, with a focused and determined Portugal side expertly dispatching both Turkey and North Macedonia to ease supporters’ nerves and book a sixth successive World Cup finals appearance.

But while Portuguese fans got a slight scare, Ghana supporters will still be hiding behind the sofa following the most unconvincing of qualification campaigns and they are likely to be outclassed in this company.

In the second round of African qualifying, the Black Stars finished level with South Africa on points, goal-difference and head-to-head record, but snuck through at the expense of the Bafana Bafana thanks to the fact that they had scored one more goal over the six games.

The third-round playoff was no less hair-raising, with Ghana held to a 0-0 draw by Nigeria in the home first leg and then benefitting from an absolute howler of an error from goalkeeper Francis Uzoho in the return, sneaking through on away goals after a 1-1 draw.

But with those games coming immediately after a dismal Africa Cup of Nations performance in which Ghana finished bottom of a group containing Morocco, Gabon and minnows Comoros, Black Stars supporters will not care how they qualified – most will have been stunned that they made it at all.

Ghana must improve dramatically on recent performances if they are to have any hope against a Portugal side who don’t always click but are blessed with more than enough quality to go deep into the tournament.

Cristiano Ronaldo remains the star of the show but Santos is spoiled for choice in almost every position. Atletico’s Joao Felix, Manchester City trio Bernardo Silva, Joao Cancelo and Ruben Dias, Manchester United pair Bruno Fernandes, William Carvalho and Ruben Neves are just a handful of star names fighting for places in the starting team.

Ghana cannot get close to matching that depth, but they have a few high-profile players around which to build the team.

Arsenal’s Thomas Partey is joined by fellow English Premier League regulars Tariq Lamptey of Brighton, Crystal Palace winger Jordan Ayew and defenders Mohammed Salisu and Daniel Amartey. But the class gap is huge, as is the level of experience in the two dugouts.

Santos is not universally revered in Portugal – detractors justifiably wonder whether his often cautious tactics get the most from an outstanding squad – but in his ninth year in the post he knows his squad and his systems inside out. And being the man who guided Portugal to their first and only international silverware at Euro 2016 gives him a strong base from which to hit back at his critics.

His opposite number remains very much in the infancy of his managerial career, with Otto Addo appointed in February having never before managed a senior team and his experience is limited to a single-figure number of matches in charge of the Ghanians.

This World Cup – and this opener in particular – will provide a steep learning curve for Addo and his young squad, and he could receive a harsh lesson against Santos’ supremely talented and hugely experienced Portugal side.

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