2013 has been a blessing for Cristiano Ronaldo. The superstar has scored 20 times for Real Madrid, including major winning tallies against Barcelona and Manchester United in major tournaments. Now his clutch performances must translate for his national side, which is dire need of a victory on Friday.
Portugal will face off against Israel for the second spot in Group F. Back in October, Portugal had a pair of poor matches that essentially put them out of the running for the top spot in the group. They lost 1-0 to Russia but then imploded for a 1-1 draw against lowly Northern Ireland. With Russia ahead by five points, Portugal looks more likely to settle for the playoff spot; however, they must win it from Israel, a team with the same amount of points.
"All the games are important, but Israel is directly competing with us to qualify. They have the same amount of points as us, and we'll have to get a good result," Portuguese defender Vitorino Antunes told the press on Tuesday.
The Israelites know that their greatest challenge will be to cover Ronaldo. "There's no doubt that when you say Portugal, you say Ronaldo. He's the captain and leading player... He brings fans to the game," Israeli striker Eden Ben Basat stated in an interview with One sporting network on Tuesday. "I believe the crowd will come firstly to support us, which is very important to the team."
"We're motivated and will come prepared to the game," Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim added during an interview with Israel's Sport5. "There's no doubt Portugal is one of the best teams in the world, but on a given day we can do it."
Ronaldo's numbers are still suspect for his national side. Despite a tremendous Euro 2012 campaign, he has only scored one goal in four qualifying matches; Helder Postiga leads the team with three tallies. Ronaldo will need to be better to help Portugal.
Portugal Roster
Goalkeepers: Rui Patricio, Eduardo, Beto.
Defenders: Joao Pereira, Bruno Alves, Henrique Sereno, Luis Neto, Fabio Coentrao, Silvio, Pepe.
Midfielders: Miguel Veloso, Carlos Custodio, Raul Meireles, Joao Moutinho.
Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Silvestre Varela, Helder Postiga, Hugo Almeida, Danny, Vieirinha, Pizzi, Paulo Machado.
Start Time: 8:45 AM EST
TV: ESPN Deportes