Portugal and Uzbekistan seek a first win of the tournament as they meet in Group K at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Victory would put Portugal top of the Group K table for a few hours, whilst Uzbekistan can go second with a win.
Team News
Ruben Dias is available for Portugal after he missed their 1-1 draw against DR Congo due to a minor unspecified injury.
Uzbekistan could be without defender, Rustamjon Ashurmatov after he suffered a calf injury during their 3-1 loss to Colombia.
When is Kick-Off?
Portugal meet Uzbekistan at NRG Stadium, Houston, on Tuesday 23 June at 12pm CDT (6pm BST), live on ITV1 and ITVX in the UK.
Stat Attack
- This is Portugal’s first World Cup meeting against Uzbekistan.
- Uzbekistan have never met Portugal previously in all competitions.
- Joao Neves scored with Portugal’s only shot on target against DR Congo.
- Four of Uzbekistan’s eight shots against Colombia were created by Bekhruz Karimov and Dostonbek Khamdamov – who both produced two shots each.
Prediction
For all of their attacking firepower, Portugal should be disappointed in their draw against DR Congo with their goal having come from their sole shot on target, so this is now must-win otherwise they need a win against Colombia to stand any chance of a top-two finish.
Uzbekistan meanwhile have nothing to lose as underdogs but they were absolutely outplayed by Colombia, and I fear that it will be the same unless they are more defensively solid than they were after their brief equaliser, so this is a game where they have little to fear really.
Although it would be nice to see Uzbekistan create a surprise and set up a tense final pair of Group K matches, I honestly expect Portugal to deliver the reaction everyone expects.
Prediction: Portugal 3-1 Uzbekistan
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