Match Today: Portugal vs Switzerland 06-12-2022 Qatar World Cup

The Round of 16 match of the FIFA World Cup 2022 sees an exciting showdown when Portugal takes on Switzerland at the iconic Lusail Stadium at 7pm GMT. Portugal has reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup only once since 2002; Coming in Germany 2006 when they finished fourth. Since then, they have suffered round-of-16 exits on two occasions while failing to make it out at the group stage in 2014. They faced Switzerland who ran a similar edition at the last World Cup. Al-Nati is participating in his third consecutive appearance in the knockout stage and fourth in the last five World Cup tournaments. However, they have failed to get past this stage of the competition for more than 60 years, and 1954 was the last time the Swiss reached the quarter-finals - their best achievement ever. Switzerland must come into this match confident of a result as their game split In the Nations League against Portugal again in June. Switzerland would have lost the first match 4-0 in Lisbon but would have responded by winning 1-0 in Geneva. They have also been doing well in the World Cup so far, finishing second in a tough Group G that also included Brazil, Cameroon and Serbia. Nate smashed three goals against Serbia in the final round to secure his place and showed grit in his previous matches as well; They lost by just one goal to heavy favorites Brazil and did just enough to win Cameroon 1-0 in their opening match.

Portugal topped Group H after winning their first two matches and managed to maintain their lead despite losing 2-1 to South Korea in the final round. Portugal took an early lead in the fifth minute of the game but eventually succumbed to the hard-working Korean team who scored the winning goal in the 91st minute to secure themselves a place in the Final 16. The loss ended a strong run of three straight wins. For the Portuguese, but it was also their third loss in their last seven matches. The Seleçao will now have to face a Switzerland side who have a recent history against them, as the two sides faced each other in the UEFA Nations League in the build-up to the World Cup. Portugal coach Fernando Santos will likely be able to call on the services of Porto midfielder Otavio, who has missed the last two matches with a knee problem. thigh after starting the first 11 of the opening match against Ghana. The 68-year-old will have to cope without the presence of the defensive-minded Danilo Pereira after the PSG player was ruled out with a broken rib. Santos opted to rotate a number of players for the latest match against South Korea, including the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Joao Felix, who are all expected to return to the starting line-up.

Switzerland have lost only two of their last seven matches, while winning five. The last match between these two teams was won by Switzerland, securing a 1-0 victory in June. Switzerland have fallen behind after just 90 minutes in two of their last nine World Cup matches. Portugal have conceded two of their three World Cup matches in 2022 and nine of their last 11 World Cup matches. Portugal's attack has been inconsistent in recent months, failing to score in three of their last seven matches. This is an experienced Swiss team that has proven to be a tough opponent over the years. Portugal will not have an easy match here and there is a legitimate possibility of trouble with the weapons the Swiss have, namely Bril Empolo who will be a key factor in the counter-attack. Portugal has had a strange World Cup so far. They weren't great in the first half against Ghana before finally warming up and the defeat to South Korea in the final round is disconcerting. The Swiss can keep this close enough and possibly push the match into extra time. Switzerland coach Mourat Yakin will have to decide on Xherdan Shaqiri who did not appear at all in the second round against Brazil but scored an excellent goal against Serbia. The Swiss will also stumble on the availability of first-choice goalkeeper Jan Sommer and defender Nico Elvedi, who both had illnesses that kept them out of the match against Serbia.