The final international break of the calendar year will serve a treat of fixtures, as host of teams get ready for their final push for a place in 2022 FIFA World Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal have work to do in their final two qualifiers as they face off against Republic of Ireland on Thursday followed by group leaders Serbia on Sunday, in what could be a shootout for direct qualification in next year’s World Cup.
As things stand, Serbia lead group A with 17 points from 7 games. On the other hand, Portugal occupies second spot with 16 points but have played one game less than their nearest rivals. A win for 2016 European champions will mean that they will head into the final encounter of the group against Serbia with their noses in front.
Ronaldo is in red hot form for his national side despite his struggles at club level. He netted a hat-trick against Luxembourg last time around in a 5-0 win. The veteran Manchester United striker has 115 international goals to his name. Along with Ronaldo, club mate Bruno Fernandez and Manchester City star Joao Cancelo could prove decisive in Portugal’s progression.
Other crunch encounters will see former world champions Spain in a tough qualification battle with Sweden in group B. Sweden could secure qualification if Spain fails to win against Greece coupled with their win against Georgia. If both Spain and Sweden secure wins, then the head to head encounter on Sunday evening will decide who will carry their passports to Qatar next year.
Italy and Switzerland are also involved in a crunch head to head battle in their respective group, while the likes of France, Belgium, Netherlands, Russia and England could all secure qualification before the final group games next week. Denmark and Germany remain the only sides with a confirmed berth in next year’s football carnival.
