Country: Portugal
Elite Players: Cristiano Ronaldo
Key Players: Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe, Deco, Nani
Rankings: 3 (FIFA), 8 (SPI)
History: Semifinals (1966, 2006) Qualified (1986, 2002)
Odds to Win: 28-1

“What kind of world is this that can send machines to Mars and does nothing to stop the killing of a human being?” – Jose Saramago

The Portuguese rely on icons. The country’s two outstanding stars, Eusebio and Luis Figo, led them to the World Cup semifinals in 1966 to 2006 respectively. They have qualified just twice otherwise. Cristiano Ronaldo is the two players’ logical successor. Ronaldo has scaled Europe’s peak at club level, winning both the Champions League and the Ballon d’Or in 2008, but has yet to replicate that form for his national team. Portugal have talent and a stern defense, but it will be Ronaldo who will determine how far they advance.

Solidarity: The Portuguese team has rebuffed a Facebook campaign, urging them to grow moustaches for solidarity in South Africa. The painfully literal Paulo Ferreira said doing so would “only make (them) figures of fun.” .

Form: Portugal’s qualification campaign was hairy. Blowing a 2-0 lead at home to Denmark sent them into a funk. They needed a late run of three straight wins and some help to edge Sweden for a place in the playoff by a point. Without Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal beat Bosnia 1-0 in both legs to qualify. It’s hard to divine much from their recent friendlies. They dominated Cape Verde, but could not score, embarrassingly drawing 0-0. A week later they comfortably handled Cameroon 3-1.

Limitations: Carlos Quieroz is an excellent coach. He won two World Youth Championships for Portugal. He was second in command during an impressive Manchester United stretch, receiving much of the credit for the tactical innovations that revitalized them this decade. Two of his protégés, Luis Figo and Cristiano Ronaldo, won the Ballon d’Or.

He has not been an excellent manager, however. Quieroz failed to qualify Portugal for the 1994 World Cup. He guided South Africa to the World Cup in 2002, but was fired before the tournament. Real Madrid finished fourth in his one season. Portugal has not played to their ability since he took the reigns in 2008. Quieroz has an avid soccer mind, but his capacity to lead remains suspect.

Tactics: Portugal play basically a 4-1-2-3. The fullbacks get forward. A deep lying central midfielder covers the backline. Two attacking wingers support a front striker. The tactics and personnel have created two primary problems.

Though Portugal’s midfield is defensively sound, it struggles distributing the ball. The holding player is essentially a fifth defender. The only ball-playing midfielder is Deco and he’s no longer the quick, incisive player he was at Barcelona. Having vigorous wingers such as Ronaldo, Simao and Nani is only effective if they can get the ball in time to run in space, which they often have not.

Portugal also have no elite striker. Imported Brazilian Liedson is solid, but not world-class. He’s not an exceptional finisher and gives them no aerial presence. The obvious solution would be to play Ronaldo as a lead striker, and have both Simao and Nani on the field. It’s not clear whether he would be willing or whether Quieroz has the fortitude to force him.

Portugal do not get the ball forward quickly and they don’t have a world-class strikeout. Not surprisingly, they struggle to score goals against teams that are organized defensively. This could play into the hands of North Korea.

Squad: Eduardo does not have much experience, but the experience he does have is excellent. He was the main Portuguese keeper during a stingy qualifying campaign. His club team Braga had the best season in their history last year, finishing second in the Portuguese Liga.

Bruno Alves and Ricardo Carvalho give Portugal a bruising, experienced pair in the middle. Jose Bosingwa will miss the tournament, sapping some explosion from the team. Paulo Ferreira will replace him at right back, with Duda or Benfica youngster Fabio Coentrao the most likely candidates on the left.

Pedro Mendes or Pepe, if he’s healthy, should be the deep-lying midfielder. Raul Meireles and Deco should play in front of him in central midfield. Cristiano Ronaldo should start on wing, with Simao or Nani on the other and Liedson up front.

Prediction: Portugal has the talent of a team that could win the World Cup and the inspiration of a team that could be knocked out in the group stage. They have a pivotal match against the Ivory Coast up first. If they scuffle initially and lose, they most likely will be eliminated. Even if they get through the group in second, they would have to get through Spain and Italy to reach the semifinals. Without an inspired effort from Cristiano Ronaldo, it’s hard to see them being relevant.

Interesting Fact: One of the largest earthquakes in European history struck Lisbon on All Saints Day in 1755. It and the resulting Tsunami destroyed 85 percent of buildings and killed nearly a third of the population.

(Photo via Getty)

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea, Greece
Group C: England, United States, Slovenia, Algeria
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile