Ronaldo, Suarez clash

Russia (AP):

While others try to downplay the significance, the match between Uruguay and Portugal in the World Cup knockout stage will be focused on how much influence Luis Suarez and Cristiano Ronaldo can have.

Similar evaluations are made a few times every year when Ronaldo's Real Madrid and Suarez's Barcelona meet in La Liga and other club competitions. But this is the first time it will happen on the biggest stage in football and with a spot in the quarter-finals at stake.

Veteran Portugal defender, Bruno Alves, said this week that Saturday's match will be about more than Ronaldo and Suarez. Good luck convincing fans of that.

Uruguay won their group with shutout victories in their first three games. Portugal's path to second place in their group was more tenuous. Of course it was Ronaldo leading the way, scoring four of Portugal's five goals.

CHANCES OFVICTORY

Portugal's path to the round of 16 feels somewhat familiar to two years ago when it won the European Championship. This time, Portugal escaped to the knockout round after a shaky 1-1 draw with Iran, which had chances at victory in the closing moments.

In 2016, Portugal played to a 3-3 draw with Hungary on the final day of the Euros group stage, including two second-half goals from Ronaldo, to reach the knockout round. That was the start of Portugal's memorable run. The team did just enough to get past Croatia and Poland before decisively beating Wales in the semi-finals and knocking off France in the final to give Portugal its first major international title.

It's unlikely that the same scenario will play out again, given how difficult the road to the final could be. But would anybody be surprised if Ronaldo again takes Portugal on a deep tournament run?

"We are champions of Europe and we have demonstrated our quality," Portugal defender Cedric Soares said.

Uruguay are in the round of 16 for the third straight World Cup, but are seeking a better memory than four years ago when Suarez's biting of Italy's Giorgio Chiellini was the story going into the knockout round. Uruguay were then dominated by Colombia in a 2-0 loss that turned into a showcase for James Rodriguez.