Portugal has not been all that impressive during their World Cup Qualification, but on Friday, they will have a chance to temporarily erase their mishaps up until now. From six matches played, the Portuguese have only managed three victories, two draws and one defeat.
Their three victories came twice against Azerbaijan, while the third came against Luxembourg in September of 2012, after Paulo Bento's side went down 1-0 in the 13th minute of the match.
Things could have been much worst for Portugal had they not been able to score two late goals against Israel, earning themselves a 3-3 draw.
Unable to find consistency, Portugal is now third in Group F, even on 11 points with Israel, while Russia is first with 12 points and two matches in hand.
Fabio Capello's side has been very impressive in their four matches, earning four victories in as many matches. Adding to their brilliant campaign so far, they have yet to concede a goal, making them the only European country to not concede in the Qualification Round.
Friday's match will give the Russians another opportunity to distance themselves at the top of the table, knowing that they will still have two more matches to play.
The full three points on Friday would really give Russia a nearly guaranteed spot in Brazil next year, but Fabio Capello knows that this match will not be easy.
"The qualification match in Lisbon is without a doubt a very important match for Russia, as well as Portugal," Capello told news reporters.
"It is vital for us to be at the World Cup in 2014, which is something that would really help develop Russian Football."
Having failed to qualify for the two previous World Cups in 2006 and 2010, Capello's side will be under pressure to book their trip as soon as possible, but at the moment, things are looking good for the Italian manager.
On the other side of the pitch will be a Portuguese side that has great memories of the last time these two countries met on Portuguese soil. A 7-1 drubbing in 2004 is likely not going to happen on Friday, but the Portuguese will want to at least send a message after feeling hardly done in their last meeting in Russia.
"It is going to be a very important match for us because we know that we do not have much margin for error," said Cristiano Ronaldo on the Portuguese Federation's website.
"We must win. We are going to play at home and there will be a fantastic environment. We want to win this match in honor of all the Portuguese fans."
Ronaldo has not enjoyed the previous month or so at the Bernabeu, but he will now get a chance to return home in an attempt to lift his country past first placed Russia.
The Real Madrid star has often come under fire for failing to produce high quality performances on the international stage with consistency, but the Portuguese captain will have another shot at coming up big in a crucial moment.
Up until now, there will not be a bigger moment for Ronaldo to pull through, hoping he can keep Portugal's hopes alive of booking a place in the upcoming World Cup. In order to do that, they will need to defeat a Russian side that has only played away from home once during qualifications. That away match was in Tel Aviv against Israel, where the Russian's took home a 0-4 victory.
This match will not be easy for either side, but knowing that anything less than a victory could be really bad news, the pressure will be on the hosts. Even on 11 points with Israel, Portugal still only depend on themselves, but they will need to make sure they do not slip up anymore.
Paulo Bento's side will be expected to come out hungry and ready to send a message, but given how Russia has played up until now, Capello's side may be able to absorb the early pressure.
Failure to score in the first 30 minutes will really start to affect the mentality of the Portuguese players, especially playing at home and needing the full three points. Meanwhile, the Russians will not want to just sit around and absorb pressure all game which could potentially open up some space for the Portuguese players.
This should be one of those high tempo and very entertaining matches to watch, but for Portuguese fans, it could be a very long and stressful 90 minutes if the hosts are unable to get a goal in the first half.
Prediction
Portugal 2-1 Russia
