As other top contenders for the World Cup title are taking care of business and booking their places in the round of 32, Portugal won't be able to secure official passage on Wednesday by virtue of their opening round draw with DR Congo. They could also find themselves in a must-win match facing Colombia on the final matchday if they want to win the group. Manager Roberto Martinez has already struggled with one golden generation at the World Cup, during his time in his previous job with Belgium, and he has acknowledged that there is always pressure that follows with managing Portugal, as he is faced with one of the biggest decisions of his managerial career in if he should bench Portugal's legendary striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
Cristiano Ronaldo is an anchor on Portugal's World Cup hopes, so why does he keep getting starts? James Benge
With Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappe all scoring two or more goals in each of their group stage matches so far while Ronaldo looks for his first, the Portugal man is lagging behind the others. That wouldn't matter if most Portugal attacks didn't look for him, but when the ball goes into the box, everyone looks for Ronaldo.
Facing Uzbekistan, it may not be time to bench Ronaldo yet, but it's something that Martinez needs to have a look at if things aren't going well. Goncalo Ramos may not have the same ability to finish that Ronaldo has, but he would allow the midfield to be at their best and keep play ticking over. Bruno Fernandes is the reigning Premier League player of the year, and if he gets rolling and is able to serve dimes to the wingers, Portugal could be a hard team to stop in this tournament. But as always it comes down to what to do with one 41-year-old forward.
How to watch Portugal vs. Uzbekistan
Date: Tuesday, June 23 | Time: 1 p.m. ET Location: NRG Stadium -- Houston, Texas TV: FOX (Eng), Telemundo (Spa) | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free) Odds: Portugal -699; Draw +700; Uzbekistan +1400
Portugal vs. Uzbekistan predicted starting lineups
Portugal: Diogo Costa, Nuno Mendes, Renato Veiga, Tomás Araújo, João Cancelo, João Neves, Vitinha, Pedro Neto, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo
Uzbekistan: Utkir Yusupov, Rustam Ashurmatov, Abdulla Abdullaev, Abdukodir Khusanov, Sherzod Nasrulloev, Otabek Shukrov, Akmal Mozgovoy, Bekhruz Karimov, Oston Urnov, Abbosbek Fayzullayev, Eldor Shomurodov
Portugal vs. Uzbekistan pick, prediction
With a slow start, this isn't going to be a match that eases concerns fully, but given Portugal's midfield, Uzbekistan won't be able to keep up en route to eventually getting overwhelmed in the match. Pick: Portugal 3, Uzbekistan 0
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