Portugal can seal top spot in Group H and avoid a potential horror matchup with Brazil when they face South Korea later this afternoon.
A Selecao are already through to the World Cup knockout stages following wins over Ghana and Uruguay in their opening two games.
Yet Portugal know there is still work to be done to top the group and avoid meeting likely Group G conquerors Brazil in the last-16.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co need just a point against South Korea – who need a victory themselves to avoid elimination after their 3-2 loss to Ghana.
South Korea v Portugal: talkSPORT coverage
This World Cup Group H clash will take place on Friday, December 2 – the final day of group stage fixtures.
The match at the Education City Stadium will kick-off at 3pm.
The action will be live on talkSPORT, with Hugh Woozencroft as your presenter.
Commentary will then come from Alex Crook and former England striker Dean Ashton.
talkSPORT World Cup 2022 Coverage
talkSPORT is bringing you wall-to-wall coverage of the 2022 World Cup.
We are broadcasting all 64 games in the tournament live, with over 600 hours of coverage across our network.
You can tune in to talkSPORT and talkSPORT 2 via our free online streaming service at talkSPORT.com.
talkSPORT is widely available across the UK via DAB digital radio and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
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South Korea v Portugal: Squads and team news
Korea manager Paulo Bento – a former Portugal international – will miss the game against his former team due to suspension.
Fernando Santos meanwhile has a number of injuries to contend with, as Nuno Mendes, Danilo Pereira and Otavio all absentees.
Portugal
- Goalkeepers: Diogo Costa, Rui Patricio, Jose Sa
- Defenders: Joao Cancelo, Diogo Dalot, Pepe, Ruben Dias, Danilo Pereira, Antonio Silva, Nuno Mendes, Raphael Guerreiro
- Midfielders: William Carvalho, Ruben Neves, Palhinha, Bruno Fernandes, Vitinha, Otavio, Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Mario
- Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo, Joao Felix, Rafael Leao, Ricardo Horta, Andre Silva, Goncalo Ramos
South Korea
- Goalkeepers: Kim Seung-gyu, Jo Hyeon-woo, Song Bum-keun
- Defenders: Kim Min-jae, Kim Jin-su, Hong Chul, Kim Moon-hwan, Yoon Jong-gyu, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Tae-hwan, Kwon Kyung-won, Cho Yu-min
- Midfielders: Jung Woo-young, Na Sang-ho, Paik Seung-ho, Son Jun-ho, Song Min-kyu, Kwon Chang-hoon, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang Hee-chan, Hwang In-beom, Jeong Woo-yeong , Lee Kang-in
- Forwards: Hwang Ui-jo, Cho Gue-sung , Heung-min Son
South Korea v Portugal: Match facts
- Bruno Fernandes has been involved in four of Portugal’s five goals at this year’s World Cup (2 goals, 2 assists), scoring twice in their 2-0 win over Uruguay. Fernandes is only the second player this century to have registered multiple goals and assists in a team’s first two group stage matches, along with Karim Benzema for France in 2014.
- Through the first two matchdays of the 2022 World Cup, no central midfielder made more progressive carries (28) or created more chances following a carry (3) than Portugal’s Bernardo Silva.
- Cho Gue-sung scored twice for Korea Republic against Ghana last time out, accounting for 33% of his total goals for the national side (2/6). No player has ever scored three goals in a single edition of the World Cup for the Asian side.
- Portugal have scored a penalty in each of their two group stage games at this year’s World Cup (Cristiano Ronaldo vs Ghana, Bruno Fernandes vs Uruguay). No team has ever scored a penalty in each of their three group stage matches in the World Cup.
- Portugal are yet to lose a match at the World Cup when they’ve scored the first goal (P18 W15 D3), scoring first without losing more than any other nation in World Cup history.
- Portugal have already qualified for the knockout stages of the 2022 World Cup, beating Ghana and Uruguay so far. They are looking to win all three group stage matches for just a third time, also doing so in 1966 and 2006.
- Korea Republic have lost five of their last seven World Cup matches (W1 D1), as many as they had in their previous 16 (W5 D6). They’re looking to win their third group game for just the third time at the tournament, previously doing so in 2002 (vs Portugal) and 2018 (vs Germany).
- Korea Republic have won just five of their 23 FIFA World Cup matches against European sides (D6 L12), with each of those five wins coming against a different nation (Poland, Portugal, Italy, Greece and Germany).
- Portugal’s only defeat in five previous meetings with Asian sides at the FIFA World Cup came against Korea Republic in 2002, with the Portuguese winning three and drawing one of their other four games.
- The only previous meeting between Korea Republic and Portugal came in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, with Korea winning 1-0 on home soil in a group stage match. The result saw them win their group, while eliminating Portugal from the competition.
Watch the World Cup with talkSPORT
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At talkSPORT we are powered by fans, so come and join us for the ultimate World Cup fan experience this winter – at the talkSPORT Fan Zone.
In a huge indoor venue under the arches at Waterloo in London, we’ll bring you live screenings of every World Cup game.
There will be Q&As with talkSPORT talent, you’ll be part of our live broadcasts, and there will be plenty of food and drink on offer too.
Come and enjoy the best World Cup fan experience in London – and enjoy a pint on us – with tickets for all remaining games on sale HERE!
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)