Ronaldo, Portugal play Uzbekistan in World Cup: prediction and team news

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Who: Portugal vs Uzbekistan What: FIFA World Cup 2026 Group K match Where: NRG Stadium, Houston When: Tuesday, 12pm local time (17:00 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 13:00 GMT ahead of our live text commentary stream.

A day after Lionel Messi became the World Cup’s all-time highest scorer, the focus shifts to his great rival, Cristiano Ronaldo, with the football world braced for a bounce-back performance from the ageing superstar forward in Portugal’s meeting with Uzbekistan.

After being held to a shock 1-1 draw by DR Congo in their tournament opener, Portugal need a win to revive their knockout qualification hopes.

And for Ronaldo, who had a largely anonymous display in his first appearance, the match offers a chance at redemption, as he plays catch-up with the rest of the in-form strikers in North America.

Tournament debutants Uzbekistan, on the other hand, head into the game on the back of a 3-1 defeat by Colombia, needing at least a draw to avoid elimination.

Here is all you need to know about Portugal vs Uzbekistan before the fixture:

‘It is a process’: Martinez after Portugal’s lacklustre start

Portugal drew criticism for their performance against DR Congo, especially for their weakness in the final third. The two-time UEFA Nations League winners had the lion’s share of possession against the African side, but produced seven shots with only one on target.

Coach Roberto Martinez said his players started that match brightly but lost discipline and structure after the first 20 minutes. It is something they are looking to improve on against underdogs Uzbekistan.

“We are strong and focused,” Martinez said. “And our group is even more united than before. It is a process. ‌Tension is not part of our team.

“It’s normal to have criticism after a poor result. Sometimes it’s unfair or negative, but it is not part of how we prepare.”

Martinez refused to say whether Ronaldo would start the match, amid calls for the 41-year-old centre-forward to be benched. The coach, however, described him as a “role model” for the team, who are considered outside favourites for the tournament.

Uzbekistan ‘have nothing to lose’, says coach Cannavaro

As one of the four debutants at the tournament, Uzbekistan arrived in North America on the back of a historic run, their youthful side grabbing the spotlight in Asian football.

Even though their campaign started with a loss to Colombia, Abbosbek Fayzullaev’s first-ever goal for Uzbekistan at a World Cup gave millions back home a reason to rejoice.

Now, as they prepare to face a talented Portugal squad – featuring Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Rafael Leao and others – Uzbekistan coach Fabio Cannavaro has urged the team to put up a stronger fight.

“As I have always said, we have nothing to lose,” said Cannavaro, who led Italy to the 2006 World Cup as captain. “Portugal always like to control the game. They will start in a very good way; they want to play fast. We will be prepared for that.

“We have our strategy. I know we are going to face a very good team. We will ‌try to do our best and stay in the game until the end.

“I asked my team to play with more fighting spirit than against Colombia, but we cannot just run around stupidly everywhere.”

Portugal vs Uzbekistan prediction

Stats provider Opta’s supercomputer has handed Portugal a whopping 80.3 percent probability of winning against Uzbekistan, who have a mere 6.8 percent chance of winning. There is a 12.9 percent probability of a draw.

Portugal vs Uzbekistan: How to watch, kickoff time

To check the TV listings for your country, head to FIFA’s TV listing schedule here.

How does the World Cup group stage work?

Portugal, Uzbekistan, DR Congo and Colombia are in Group K.

After the first round of games, Colombia lead the group with three points, with DR Congo second, Portugal third – with a point each – and Uzbekistan bottom with none.

The top two teams from each of the 12 groups – along with the eight best third-placed teams – proceed to the next phase, the round of 32, which has been introduced at the World Cup for the first time, following the tournament’s expansion from 32 to 48 teams.

(Last five games, latest result first)

Portugal have a much better record than Uzbekistan in the last five games.

They drew with DR Congo in the first game of the 2026 World Cup, but beat Nigeria and Chile in pre-World Cup friendlies. Portugal also beat the United States in March and drew with Mexico.

Uzbekistan lost to Colombia in their World Cup opener, and fell to the Netherlands and Canada in pre-World Cup friendlies. However, they beat Venezuela on penalties and Gabon, too, in March warm-up matches.

Portugal vs Uzbekistan: Head-to-head

Tuesday’s game in Houston will be the first-ever meeting between Portugal and Uzbekistan.

Portugal vs Uzbekistan: Team news

All Portugal players, apart from Tomas Araujo, are available for the match, including Ruben Dias, who sat out the opener.

There are no reported injuries concerns for Uzbekistan.

(4-2-3-1): Costa (Goalkeeper); Cancelo, Araujo, Veiga, Mendes; Neves, Vitinha; Silva, Fernandes, Neto; Ronaldo

(3-4-2-1): Yusupov (Goalkeeper); Khusanov, Abdullaev, Ashurmatov; Karimov, Mozgovoy, Shukurov, Nasrulloev; Fayzullaev, Urunov; Shomurodov