World Cup Russia Round of 16 Day 1 - Portugal vs Uruguay Preview
Hello Rankers!
To help you score better in RankingBall and win more, here's a strategy guide for you.
From tomorrow 14:00 UTC begins the tournament stage of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia.
In this guide, we will go over which players you can expect to put in your RankingBall bingo.
Portugal Preview
Portugal came up second from Group B, one of the three 'Groups of Death' in this year's world cup. Led by the world star Christiano Ronaldo, Portugal has won the UEFA Euro 2016 and France and looks forward to continue their successful campaign in the World Cup. Portugal's strengths lie in Ronaldo himself, and the fact that the trend of soccer is changing from short pass buildups to long balls and set pieces. However, the Portugese midfield seems near-nonexistent, and most of Portugal's attacks rely on Ronaldo. Will Portugal come up with a Plan B if Ronaldo is shut down?
Portugal expected Lineup (Back numbers don't match)
RankingBall Strategies
Attack Point - Quaresma or Silva. Other reasonable choices would be Moutinho and Guedes . Quaresma was one of Portugal's key players in terms of offense, and he has 1 goal to his name scored against Iran. Considering his position as a forward with a supporting role to Ronaldo, Silva would also be a valid pick.
Goal - Ronaldo. Who else? Ronaldo is responsible for 80% of Portugal's goals. Period. If you feel brave or lucky, go for Silva or Quaresma. Really want to stand out? Then go for Pepe, considering that he has height and strength to score in set pieces.
Assist - As stated above, any midfielders such as Moutinho, Guedes or Silva could prove viable. All three players have made 1 assist in the group stage, so you could rely on them to help Ronaldo score for Portugal.
Cards/Foul - The most fun part of Portugal's Bingo. I would strongly recommend Pepe for this part. Pepe's role in this encounter is not only to shut down the deadly duo of Suarez and Cavani, but also to foul them appropriately and douse Uruguay's tempo. On top of this, Pepe has a severe reputation for temper flares. He was literally playing MMA against Diego Costa during the match against Spain.He was also responsible for most of Portugal's handling fouls during the group stage, including the one that led to Iran's Ansarifard's penalty goal. Should the match go in Uruguay's favor, rely on him to put up some shenanigans and fill your card/foul bingo.
Shots on - Go for Quaresma or Silva, whichever person that you have not put in your attack point bingo.
Saves - I would recommend putting Portugal in this one. Portugal's midfield is relatively weak when compared to Uruguay's. Expect Rui Patricio to make lots of saves, just like in Euro 2016 and the group stages. In fact, Patricio made it to Euro 2016's Best XI, putting him ahead of Lloris and Neuer(who conceded two goals against South Korea)
Uruguay Preview
Uruguay was the only team to win all three of the group matches and keep a clean sheet. Although the records were not too impressive, with 1-0 wins over Saudi Arabia and Egypt, Uruguay has also pummeled Russia 3-0 to secure its first place in the Group. Furthermore, they pulled together their midfield, shutting down the criticism that 'there is nobody between Godin and Suarez'. Armed with the scoring talents of Cavani and Suarez, Uruguay will pose a challenge to European champions Portugal.
Uruguay expected Lineup (Back numbers don't match)
RankingBall Strategies
Goal - The one man with Uruguay's attack on his shoulders - Luis Suarez.
Attack point - Cavani. The PSG striker has been under some criticisms that his scoring finish is not up to world class. However, he can both score like he did against Russia, while set up goals for Suarez.
Assist - Uruguay has not made many assists in this tournament. If you HAVE to pick a Uruguayan player for the assist tabs, then go for Serie A playmakers Bentancour or Torreira. Should Carlos Sanchez make an appearance in the starting XI, having him fill up the assist cell is a good option, because he has set up 2 goals in the group stages so far.
Shots on - Vecino, Bentancour and Torreira could make good picks here. All 3 of them are good at infiltrating from the midfield.
Cards/Foul - Midfielders Veccino and Nandez are decent picks. Both of them will have to struggle to shut down Christiano Ronaldo. Or pick one of the defenders like Godin or Gimenez. We know Suarez is also famous for shenanigans, but he performs better when placed in the goals/attack points cells.
Saves - Muslera has kept a clean sheet through the group stages. Rely on him to save Christiano Ronaldo's strikes. Frankly speaking, both sides are viable options for the save cell.
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