Preview: Lusitanos still hope to claim the top spot in Group F
Portugal and Israel go into Fridays match looking for the full three points, but for Israel, the victory is a must. With only 12 points from eight matches, Eli Guttman's squad could see their World Cup hopes come to an end with anything other than a victory at the Estádio Alvalade.
The Portuguese are currently second in the group, one point back of Russia, but if they look to earn themselves a direct qualification, they will need to do their job first.
Two home matches to finish off their qualification stage should give Portugal a good shot at six points. But knowing how inconsistent Paulo Bento's squad can be at times, the visitors will know that anything is possible on Friday.
"We simply must win," Hugo Almeida told reporters in Obidos. "We know Israel's strong points, how much we suffered there and how good their finishers and counter-attacks are. It's their last chance to try and qualify so they will surely come at us with everything."
Going at them with everything is an understatement. The visitors not only need to defeat Portugal, but they will also need for Luxembourg to steal points from the Lusitanos as well. While that may prove to be much easier said than done, Northern Ireland drew against Portugal at the Estádio do Dragão. Therefore, Israel and even Luxembourg will have full confidence that they could pull off a shock result.
When you also take into consideration the number of injury problems Bento is dealing with at the moment, Guttman's side will be looking to take advantage of that.
The absence of Bruno Alves and João Pereira will likely force Bento to start Luis Neto and Pepe in the heart of the back four. He may also hand Andre Almeida or Cedric their first international appearance. But despite their somewhat makeshift backline, the Portuguese are fortunate to have one Cristiano Ronaldo on their side.
His outstanding performance against Northern Ireland in Belfast did not come as a surprise. When his country needed him most, the Real Madrid player stepped up and carried his nation one step closer to the finish line. And knowing that they are within reaching distance of that finish line, Ronaldo will likely be ready to take another giant step towards Brazil on Friday.
"We have two matches that we need to win," Ronaldo said in his latest press conference. "We are favorites. We need to win. There are six points up for grabs. We want to win, and then we will wait to see what happens in Russia's two matches."
Eli Guttman has had some injury problems of his own, which has forced him to use over 50 different players in the qualification stage. The Israel manager has opted to recall Maccabi Tel Aviv's Barak Yitzhaki as well as Toulouse striker Eden Ben Basat who missed out in their last two matches due to injury.
Needing his squad to be at their best in order to claim three points is obvious, but the Israelis can also build on their 3-3 draw against Portugal in Tel Aviv. Had Fabio Coentrão not scored a stoppage time goal, Israel could have added more pressure to the Portuguese squad.
On Friday, the Portuguese could either make this a two horse race, or they could setup a very nervous final match for themselves, Israel and even Russia, depending on how they do in their match.
Where to watch this match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Portugal vs Israel live on Friday, October 11, 2013:
In Canada at 15:45 ET on: RTP Internacional, GolTV Canada
In the USA at 15:45 ET on: ESPN3, RTP Internacional
Internationally at 19:45 GMT on: Qualifiers 2014 App (Live streaming online)
Viewers in Australia, Brazil, South Africa and even Venezuela can also follow the action on RTP Internacional. For fans outside of these viewing areas, be sure to visit the Portugal vs Israel match page for full TV listings.
