With Portugal through to the last 16 of the World Cup, who is available to Fernando Santos for the clash against Switzerland?

Portugal are making their eighth appearance at the World Cup in Qatar and coach Fernando Santos will hope that his team can live up to the expectations.

They are yet to lift the coveted prize and their best result was a third-place finish in 1966.

Could this be the time that Cristiano Ronaldo and co. finally get their hands on the trophy after securing qualification through the play-offs?

They defeated Ghana and Uruguay but lost to South Korea in the group stage, yet they still managed to qualify for the knockout stages as group winners.

ALSO READ: World Cup 2022 Group H: Fixtures, results, standings, squads & full details

Getty ImagesGOALKEEPERS

Porto's Diogo Costa was Santos' first-choice custodian throughout the group stage and will continue to stand between the sticks in the remainder of the tournament ahead of veteran keeper Rui Patricio.

Wolves' Jose Sa is the third choice for Santos, but is yet to make his senior national team debut.

Name

Club

Rui Patricio

Roma

Jose Sa

Wolves

Diogo Costa

Porto

AdvertisementGetty ImagesDEFENDERS

Portugal have a solid backline led by Manchester City skipper Ruben Dias. He is being paired with an experienced candidate in Pepe.

Joao Cancelo is the preferred choice at right-back, although he has failed to replicate his form for Manchester City so far in Qatar.

On the left flank, Nuno Mendes started until his injury against Uruguay. However, Santos is has cover in that position in Dortmund's Raphael Guerreiro, and Cancelo can play there too.

Name

Club

Pepe

Porto

Ruben Dias

Manchester City

Joao Cancelo

Manchester City

Nuno Mendes*

PSG

Diogo Dalot

Manchester United

Antonio Silva

Benfica

Raphael Guerreiro

Borussia Dortmund

Danilo Pereira

Paris Saint-Germain

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Portugal have plenty of quality in the centre of the park, too.

The preferred three has been Bruno Fernandes, Ruben Neves and Bernardo Silva. But if Santos wants to mix things up in the middle, he has plenty of assuring options.

Vitinha and Matheus Nunes are young and exciting talents, while William Carvalho adds further depth and experience to the roster. Fulham's Joao Palhinha was in fine form in the build-up to the tournament.

Renato Sanches, once tipped to be a generational talent, has failed to live up to expectations. He is struggling for minutes at PSG after joining them in the summer and missed out on making the cut as a result.

Name

Club

Vitinha

PSG

William Carvalho

Real Betis

Bernardo Silva

Manchester City

Joao Mario

Benfica

Bruno Fernandes

Manchester United

Ruben Neves

Wolves

Joao Palhinha

Wolves

Matheus Nunes

Wolves

Otavio

Porto

Joao PalhinhaFulhamGetty ImagesATTACKERS

Portugal's hopes may once again rest on the shoulders of Cristiano Ronaldo. The player with the most international goals in men's football will look to add to his tally in Qatar and guide his nation to the ultimate prize.

He is being ably supported by players such as Joao Felix and AC Milan's Rafael Leao, with Diogo Jota and Pedro Neto both ruled out due to injury.

Andre Silva and Goncalo Ramos made the cut, but there is no room for Goncalo Guedes, who missed out altogether.

The retirement of Rafa Silva from international football in September was a surprise for Portugal.

Name

Club

Cristiano Ronaldo

Manchester United

Joao Felix

Atletico Madrid

Rafael Leao

AC Milan

Ricardo Horta

Braga

Goncalo Ramos

Benfica

Andre Silva

RB Leipzig

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