The football world has been full of talk about Cristiano Ronaldo recently, and after he got off to a scoring start to the World Cup against Ghana, his Portugal team face Uruguay; the same opponents who knocked them out of the last World Cup.
That is the pick of the four games to start off the week, while tournament favourites Brazil could be in for a tough test against Switzerland.
Bet9ja has you covered with all the information you need, offering more than 160 markets on every single World Cup match! Here is our preview for all four Day 9 clashes.
Group H: Portugal vs Uruguay
Lusail Stadium
Monday 28th November, 20:00
Four years after Portugal’s dream of achieving their first World Cup win was shattered by Uruguay at the Last 16 stage in Russia, the two teams are set to battle it out again in a crucial game in Group H.
Edinson Cavani’s two goals saw Uruguay to a 2-1 victory that evening, and both teams will be looking for an improvement in this one after ordinary displays in their first games in Qatar.
Fernando Santos’ Portugal got off to a winning start on Thursday, but were far from convincing in their 3-2 win against Ghana. They did little to trouble their opponents in the first half, before a 65th-minute penalty converted by Ronaldo sparked a crazy end to the game, and they only just clung on after Ghana pulled one back in the closing stages.
There is still an argument that Portugal are struggling to work out how to make their attacking players gel, but they seemed to have more joy against Ghana after bringing on exciting wide forward Rafael Leao in the 78th minute, which was shortly followed by the two winning goals, with Leao scoring their third goal.
Some of Uruguay’s stalwarts, including Luis Suarez and Diego Godin, are unlikely to be at the next World Cup, along with Cavani, who is set to retire after this tournament, and the feeling from watching their 0-0 draw in their opening game against South Korea on Wednesday was that they need some fresh impetus.
With just a single shot on target registered in that game, things looked bleak for Diego Alonso’s team, and they had to resort to efforts from long range to come close to scoring.
Portugal’s squad depth could make the difference in this one, and Bet9ja is offering half-time/full-time odds of 4.95 on draw/Portugal.
Ronaldo became the first player to score in five World Cups when he scored the opening goal against Ghana, and you can never rule out the possibility of him notching another to his tally of 118 international goals. He is priced at 5.40 to be first scorer and 2.65 to score at any time in this one.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Portugal win: 2.03, Draw: 3.30, Uruguay win: 4.05
Group G: Cameroon vs Serbia
Al Janoub Stadium
Monday 28th November, 11:00
Both teams go into this game looking for their first points and goals of the tournament, with defeats to Switzerland (1-0) for Cameroon and to Brazil (2-0) for Serbia respectively.
Cameroon gave a good account of themselves despite succumbing to Breel Embolo’s only goal of their opening game, as the possession split was fairly even at 51%-49% and Cameroon had more shots on target (5-3), but they were lacking a finishing touch.
Serbia were less threatening in their game, as they failed to register an attempt on target and conceded 22 shots, but were admittedly up against the pre-tournament favourites.
There is more expected of Serbia after topping a qualification group with Portugal, and they could just edge Cameroon out. They are 3.20 to win by a single goal.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Cameroon win: 4.80, Draw: 3.60, Serbia win: 1.78
Group H: South Korea vs Ghana
Education City Stadium
Monday 28th November, 14:00
We wouldn’t expect this one to get off to a fast start if the opening games are anything to go by, as South Korea did not have a single attempt on target in their 0-0 draw against Uruguay, and the first half of Ghana’s 3-2 defeat at Portugal was also very quiet and goalless.
Ghana could take heart from their loss, as one of the three goals they conceded was a slightly harsh penalty, and Osman Bukari’s late consolation goal made it a nervy finish for their opponents.
Son-Heung min had a quiet game for South Korea last time out, but in a game where his team are likely to see more of the ball, he is 3.05 to get on the scoresheet.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): South Korea win: 2.54, Draw: 3.10, Ghana: 3.05
Group G: Brazil vs Switzerland
Stadium 974
Monday 28th November, 17:00
Brazil lived up to the hype in an impressive opening 2-0 win over Serbia, but Switzerland have proved in the past they can be a tricky opponent.
The two teams drew 1-1 in the Group Stage at the last World Cup in Russia, but the Selecao have started more convincingly this time, and their only complaint from their first game was that the winning margin wasn’t any bigger.
Switzerland recorded a solid if unglamorous 1-0 opening win over Cameroon, and we would not expect them to play a much more expansive game against Tite’s team than Serbia did. But given they have won four competitive games in a row, including games against Portugal and Spain, any win for Brazil could be narrow. A price of 2.25 on 1-2 goals stands out for this game.
Bet9ja odds (at time of writing): Brazil win: 1.54, Draw: 4.10, Switzerland win: 6.70
