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NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Tuesday 23 June 2026 – 18:00 BST
Portugal face Uzbekistan at NRG Stadium in Houston on Tuesday evening, desperate to find the attacking fluency that deserted them during a frustrating 1-1 draw with DR Congo on Matchday One of the 2026 FIFA World Cup – kick-off is at 18:00 BST.
Uzbekistan, competing at the first World Cup in their history, lost 3-1 to Colombia in their opener and now face the unenviable task of containing a Portugal squad packed with world-class talent across every position, led by Cristiano Ronaldo at what is widely expected to be his sixth and final World Cup.
Portugal vs Uzbekistan form and preview
Roberto Martinez will have spent the five days since that DR Congo result picking apart a performance that produced an xG of just 0.65 and one solitary shot on target, with Joao Neves’ early goal quickly cancelled out by Yoane Wissa’s equaliser.
Portugal have not lost any of their last five matches, winning three of them, but the pattern has been uneven – their two draws both came against opponents who sat deep and forced them to find solutions through congested central areas.
Before the tournament, Portugal looked sharper, beating the United States 2-0 away in April before seeing off Chile 2-1 and Nigeria 2-1 in home friendlies during the first week of June.
Those results were built on controlled possession in midfield, where Vitinha and Joao Neves dictated the tempo, and width from the full-backs, particularly Nuno Mendes, who delivered consistent overlapping runs from left-back.
The Group K table adds urgency to this fixture – Colombia lead on three points after beating Uzbekistan 3-1, while Portugal and DR Congo each sit on one point, meaning anything less than three points here would leave Martinez’s side relying on other results to progress.
Portugal are priced at around 2/9 with most bookmakers to collect those three points, with William Hill among those offering a range of markets on what the odds suggest should be a comfortable home victory for the European side.
Uzbekistan arrive at the other end of the form spectrum, having lost three consecutive matches against Colombia, the Netherlands and Canada – conceding seven goals across that run while scoring only twice.
Fabio Cannavaro’s side showed resilience in patches against Colombia, with Abbosbek Fayzullaev scoring Uzbekistan’s first ever World Cup goal, but their defensive structure crumbled in the second half as Colombia added two late goals to move clear.
The positive results in their recent record came against significantly weaker opposition – a 3-1 win over Gabon and a goalless draw with Venezuela decided on penalties during the March FIFA Series.
When Uzbekistan have faced European or South American sides ranked in the top 30, they have struggled badly, conceding at least two goals in each of those three matches and failing to keep a clean sheet in any of them.
Portugal hold a commanding advantage in almost every statistical category across the last five matches, conceding three goals to Uzbekistan’s eight and keeping two clean sheets compared to one for the Central Asian debutants.
The question for Martinez is not whether Portugal should win, but whether they can rediscover the cutting edge that deserted them against DR Congo and turn possession dominance into the goals that their football betting prices demand.
Team news: Portugal vs Uzbekistan
Portugal
Ruben Dias missed the DR Congo draw with a minor knock but has returned to full training and is expected to start alongside Renato Veiga at centre-back, bringing a significant upgrade in organisational quality and aerial presence to a defence that looked vulnerable on Matchday One.
Dias’ return should address the structural issues that allowed Wissa to equalise from a set-piece against DR Congo, where Tomas Araujo deputised at centre-back and is now carrying a fitness concern of his own heading into the second group match.
Martinez may also consider bringing Francisco Conceicao or Rafael Leao into the wide positions to inject more directness, after Bernardo Silva and Pedro Neto struggled to penetrate a compact DR Congo back line from the flanks.
Uzbekistan
Fabio Cannavaro has fewer options at his disposal, with defender Rustam Ashurmatov the main fitness doubt heading into the second group match after picking up a knock against Colombia.
Ashurmatov started in Uzbekistan’s back three alongside Abdukodir Khusanov and Abdulla Abdullaev on Matchday One, and if he cannot feature, Cannavaro may turn to Khojiakbar Alijonov or Farrukh Sayfiev to fill the void.
The 18-year-old Bekhruz Karimov, Uzbekistan’s youngest squad member, impressed at right wing-back against Colombia and should retain his place – his pace on the flank offers a rare outlet when the team look to transition forward quickly.
Cannavaro will almost certainly persist with the 3-4-2-1 formation that kept Uzbekistan competitive for large stretches of the Colombia match, relying on Khusanov’s experience at Manchester City to organise the defensive block.
Portugal vs Uzbekistan injuries and predicted XIs
Portugal predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Diogo Costa; Joao Cancelo, Ruben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes; Joao Neves, Vitinha; F Conceicao, Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto; C Ronaldo
Uzbekistan predicted XI (3-4-2-1): U Yusupov; A Abdullaev, A Khusanov, R Ashurmatov; S Nasrullayev, O Shukurov, A Mozgovoy, B Karimov; A Fayzullaev, O Urunov; E Shomurodov
Head-to-head: Portugal vs Uzbekistan
Portugal and Uzbekistan have never previously met at senior international level, making this a historic first encounter between the two nations on any stage.
Uzbekistan are appearing at their first World Cup, having qualified as the first Central Asian nation ever to reach the tournament, and every match they play in 2026 is therefore a landmark fixture for the country.
With no head-to-head data to analyse, the form and squad quality of the two sides become the only reliable indicators – and both point heavily in Portugal’s favour, with 46 places separating them in the current FIFA rankings.
Portugal have vast tournament experience, with this representing Ronaldo’s record-equalling sixth World Cup appearance, while Uzbekistan’s players will be managing the pressure and intensity of the global stage for only the second time in their careers after the Colombia defeat.
Our Portugal vs Uzbekistan prediction and tips
- Portugal have scored seven goals in their last five matches and possess multiple avenues to goal through Ronaldo, Fernandes and the wide forwards
- Uzbekistan have conceded eight goals in their last five, including three against Colombia on Matchday One
- Fayzullaev’s pace on the transition gives Uzbekistan a genuine route to scoring at least once against a Portugal defence that looked vulnerable to direct running against DR Congo
- Portugal need a convincing result to reclaim control of Group K and are expected to commit more attacking players forward than they did on Matchday One
Adam is a freelance sports journalist with a decade of experience in the industry. Football is his passion, although he also follows darts and many other sports.
Adam supports Arsenal and local club Wealdstone, made famous by the Wealdstone Raider, who he has interviewed. Adam also follows the women's teams and the England national side.