Preview: Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic will have to make the difference
Since the draw dictated Portugal and Sweden would go head-to-head to determine who would be in next year's World Cup, nearly all of the talk has been about Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. On Friday, they will both get a chance to to prove their worth at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon.
The unfortunate part of this highly anticipated match is that one of the world's best players will have to miss out on the World Cup. Will it be Ronaldo or Ibra?
After being mocked by Sepp Blatter, Ronaldo has let his actions on the field do the talking. He has been in incredible form at the club level, and he will get a chance to do the same for his country on Friday. With four goals in eight matches, the Portuguese captain will have to be up for the match, if the Lusitanos are to come away with a positive result.
Zlatan's contributions to the Swedish team are just as important. He seems to score in most, if not all their decisive moments, having scored six goals in 10 matches. His strength and ability to find the back of the net will be a serious threat everytime the ball goes anywhere near him.
As for Portugal, their World Cup Qualification had its ups and downs, but as has been a habit, they find themselves in a playoff.
Surprising draws against Israel and even Northern Ireland put the Portuguese in a tough position, nearly gifting Russia with the top spot in their group. They will now have to obtain a positive result on Friday, or else they run the risk of potentially missing out on the World Cup in Brazil next year.
With a few injury concerns but nothing too serious, Paulo Bento should be able to field his best options against Sweden. The Portuguese nation will be sitting on pins and needles, as they will be hoping Ronaldo can guide them to glory.
The Swedish supporters will be hoping for glory of their own, but going into this match, most football analysts have the visitors as underdogs.
Some would say that Sweden lives and dies by Zlatan's performances, so if the PSG striker is on an off day, things could get very difficult for them. But as we have seen lately, Ibra has been scoring at will, forcing Paulo Bento to make sure his squad pays close attention to him.
Sweden is looking to qualify for the World Cup, after they missed out in 2010. Meanwhile Portugal has had some success qualifying for major tournaments as of late, and they have actually had success in most, if not all.
A positive result would take a load of pressure off the Portuguese, who have come under fire as of late. All the pressure will be on them to progress, given the amount of talent they have within the squad. If Zlatan can impose his game early on and frustrate the Portuguese defenders, the Seleção could be in for a tough 90 minutes.
Where to watch this match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Portugal vs Sweden live on Friday, November 15, 2013:
In Canada at 14:45 ET on: Sportsnet World Online, Sportsnet East, Sportsnet Ontario, RTP Internacional
In the UK at 19:45 BST on: NOW TV powered by Sky, Sky Sports 1/HD, Sky Go UK, Sky Sports 1 Ireland
In the USA at 14:45 ET on: ESPN3, ESPN Deportes Radio, Watch ESPN, ESPN Deportes, RTP Internacional
You will not want to miss this high profile match. For full TV listings and live scores during the game in Lisbon, be sure to check the Portugal vs Sweden match page.
