The Black Stars of Ghana are set to take on Portugal at the Stadium 974 in Doha, for the second game of group H and both teams will be aiming for a strong start.
Portugal want to start strongly in their sixth consecutive World Cup finals appearance, and surpass there bronze finish in the 1966 edition.
They will also want victory, as failure to secure all three points will mean Portugal have failed to win their opening game in four editions of the FIFA World Cup.
Ghana will fondly remember their exploit in 2010 when they made the quarter finals in South Africa, they however face an uphill task against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes and co.
Portugal will be feeling confident after their test friendly match against Nigeria ended 4-nil, even without the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Portugal are favourites for this particular encounter, but Ghana also have quality with the likes of Thomas Partey, Inaki Williams, the Ayew brothers amongst other talents rating to go.
The Ghanaians also have a young team that has shown resolve and willingness to suffer, and they will need a lot of character and endurance if they are to get anything from the encounter.
Ghana will also be encouraged by the fact that they have scored in 9 of their 12 previous World cup matches.
Otto Addo’s team will also be looking to make amends for Ghana’s 2014 defeat to Portugal. The Black Stars suffered a last gasp 2-1 defeat to the Seleção.
Meanwhile, the presence of Jordan Ayew will also give room for optimism as Ghana have only lost 1 of the last 14 games the Crystal Palace forward has scored in.
The match will be the first to be played at the 44,000 capacity 974 stadium; a removable stadium that was built with 974 crates, the number 974 also tallies with Qatar’s dialling number +974.
