Portugal vs Ghana Predictions

• Portugal have been leading at half-time in their last 10 victories
• Their last three competitive wins have seen a full-back score, with Joao Cancelo striking in two of those
• Portugal opened the scoring in each of their group games at Euro 2020
• Portugal’s final six qualifiers saw them score nine of their 14 goals before half-time

Hope for outsiders Ghana?

Ghana head to Qatar as the lowest-ranked side at the tournament, but that doesn’t make them complete outsiders. They’ve got a lot of talent in the squad, especially after the pull of the tournament helped them convince some quality players to switch allegiance.

Tariq Lamptey, Mohammed Salisu and Inaki Williams have all joined the Black Stars squad for the World Cup. That boost isn’t reflected in their world ranking, while the emergence of Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus is another bright spot. The 22-year-old is a fantastic attacking threat capable of bypassing the opposition’s press.

While Ghana are stocking up on options, they are underdogs against an incredibly deep Portugal side.

Ronaldo overshadows fantastic squad

While Ronaldo’s tantrum dominates the headlines, Portugal have amassed plenty of talent in their squad for Qatar. Their usual suspects return, joined by emerging talents like Diogo Costa, Nuno Mendes and Rafael Leao who round out a fantastically deep 26-man selection.

While they’re still coached by Euro 2016 winner Fernando Santos, the team has evolved from the defensive style which led them to victory. They’ve proven themselves more attack-minded, with their defenders even getting in on the action. Joao Cancelo has scored seven international goals, including two strikes earlier this year.

Portugal’s last three competitive wins have featured a full-back scoring, with Cancelo finding the net in two of those. The Portuguese defender has already matched his best-ever scoring return in a league season within 14 matches this term. He can threaten from deep against a Ghana side that will retreat and stay narrow to frustrate the Portuguese midfield. Given that, Cancelo is a great anytime scorer option.

Portugal tend to peak early

Portugal made a flying start at the previous Euros, dismantling a good Hungary side 3-0 in Budapest in their first game. That proved to be their only win of the tournament on their way to a last 16 exit.

Early starts have been something of a theme with Portugal of late. They scored 11 of their 16 goals in the Nations League before half-time, while nine of their final 14 strikes in World Cup qualifying were before the break. They also raced into a 2-0 lead against Nigeria in their pre-tournament warm-up game, before recording a 4-0 win. Ghana narrowly beat Nigeria on away goals to qualify for Qatar, so that’s a good indicator of a strong start for Portugal.

Portugal have been leading by half-time in each of their last 10 victories, while they opened the scoring in each of their group games at Euro 2020. Expect them to take an early lead against Ghana, with the favourites looking good for a winning start. Portugal half-time/full-time is my selection for this clash, while I’m backing Cancelo to strike in a 3-0 win.

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