The now untied superstar has only been given a ’50/50′ chance by head coach Fernando Santos to take part in the final match in Group H at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan due to an unspecified punch that limited him in training this week .
Ronaldo is said to have suffered from knee pain after the win over Uruguay and his status against South Korea is currently very much up in the air.
With Portugal already through to the last 16 with one game to go, Santos is unlikely to take any chances with his captaincy and talisman against Korea.
“I think it’s 50-50 whether he plays or not, we’ll see,” he said on Wednesday. “It will depend on whether and how he practices today, whether we see that he is in good shape. There is a plan for when he is not available.”
Rafael Leao could start, along with Premier League duo Diogo Dalot and Jose Sa, as Portugal look to keep its key men fresh for the knockout stage. Elsewhere, William Carvalho could be linked in midfield with Joao Palhinha. Danilo broke a rib in training and will miss.
For Heung-min Son and company, it’s a pretty simple equation. While they are dependent on other results, anything short of a win would end their World Cup campaign.
The game is so important that Paulo Bento is not expected to change much, although he himself will not be on the sidelines after being sent off against Ghana.
South Korea predicted XI: Kim Seung-gyu; Kim Moon-hwan, Kim Min-jae, Kim Young-gwon, Kim Jin-su; Jung Woo-young, Kwon Chang-hoon, Jeong Woo-yeong; Hwang In-beom, Son Heung-min, Cho Gue-sung
Portugal predicted XI: Sat; Dalot, Silva, Dias, Warrior; straw, oak; Silva, Felix, Leao; ronaldo