Portugal World Cup Roster 2014: Full 30-Man Squad and Starting 11 Projections

Portugal head into the 2014 World Cup among the second wave of contenders. Although landing in an extremely difficult group is a major roadblock on their path to a championship, the presence of Cristiano Ronaldo ensures the side won't be an easy out.   

Ronaldo headlines the 30-man preliminary roster chosen by manager Paulo Bento. The question is whether the Real Madrid superstar's supporting cast will be strong enough for Portugal to challenge the likes of Brazil, Spain, Germany or Argentina in the later rounds.

But first, the side must focus on making it out of Group G, which also features the aforementioned Germans, Ghana and the United States. Let's check out the entire preliminary roster, followed by a lineup projection and a squad breakdown.

Full 30-Man Preliminary Roster

Position	Player	Club
GK	Anthony Lopes	Lyon
GK	Beto	Sevilla
GK	Eduardo	Braga
GK	Rui Patricio	Sporting
DF	Andre Almeida	Benfica
DF	Vitorino Antunes	Malaga
DF	Bruno Alves	Fenerbahce
DF	Fabio Coentrao	Real Madrid
DF	Joao Pereira	Valencia
DF	Luis Neto	Zenit
DF	Pepe	Real Madrid
DF	Ricardo Costa	Valencia
DF	Rolando	Inter Milan
MF	Andre Gomes	Benfica
MF	Joao Mario	Vitoria
MF	Joao Moutinho	Monaco
MF	Miguel Veloso	Dynamo Kyiv
MF	Raul Meireles	Fenerbahce
MF	Ruben Amorim	Benfica
MF	William Carvalho	Sporting
FW	Cristiano Ronaldo	Real Madrid
FW	Eder	Braga
FW	Helder Postiga	Lazio
FW	Hugo Almeida	Besiktas
FW	Ivan Cavaleiro	Benfica
FW	Nani	Manchester United
FW	Rafa Silva	Braga
FW	Ricardo Quaresma	Porto
FW	Silvestre Varela	Porto
FW	Vieirinha	Wolfsburg

Starting 11 Projection

Position	Player
GK	Rui Patricio
DF	Fabio Coentrao
DF	Pepe
DF	Bruno Alves
DF	Joao Pereira
MF	Miguel Veloso
MF	Joao Moutinho
MF	Raul Meireles
FW	Cristiano Ronaldo
FW	Helder Postiga
FW	Nani

Lineup Outlook

Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Quite simply, everything starts and ends with Ronaldo for Portugal. If the talented winger is in top form, as he was during the UEFA playoffs, the Seleccao are a legitimate title threat because he's one of the few players in the world capable of completely taking over a match.

Ronaldo scored a hat-trick in the deciding leg of the playoffs to eliminate Sweden and ensure Portugal would be heading to Brazil. A couple individual efforts like that in the World Cup is all his side needs to make a serious run.

The Real Madrid fan favorite is keeping things in perspective, though. Michael Wade of the Daily Mail passed along comments Ronaldo made to Spanish outlet AS in which he talked about other countries serving as the top contenders:

"

[Portugal] must take it one game at a time, nothing is impossible in football. The strongest teams are Spain, Brazil, France, Italy, Argentina... Any team could go on and win it but the two big favourites are Spain and Brazil.

"

Aside from him, there aren't many certainties when it comes to the lineup. A lot will be decided by Bento based on the form players show during a trio of friendlies before heading to South America.

Rui Patricio should get the nod in goal but figures to get a challenge from fellow veteran Eduardo.

Pepe will headline a back line that features a solid combination of skill and experience. Perhaps the biggest question mark is on the right side. Joao Pereira has the most appearances and showcased good form for Valencia, giving him the edge.

The toughest choices for Bento come in the midfield. It's the one area where opponents have an opportunity to gain a serious advantage. And if Portugal aren't able to control the middle of the pitch, advancing from a tough group becomes much tougher.

Paul Carr of ESPN notes they are only a slight favorite to advance over the United States:

Finally, the best options to join Ronaldo up front are Helder Postiga and Nani. It would have been nice if the Manchester United winger had a better club campaign, but unless one of the other wingers shines during the build-up, it's probably his spot to fill.

All told, there weren't any surprises in the preliminary squad. Those usually don't come until the final cut-down occurs and a manager is forced into some tough decisions. But for a side without a ton of depth like Portugal, it should be straightforward for the most part.

As things stand right now, Portugal look like a side capable of reaching at least the final eight assuming Ronaldo is at full strength. Their game against the United States could very well decide which team ends up advancing.

Anything can happen if they do move on to the knockout rounds.