World Cup 2018 Table: Updated Look and Predictions for Wednesday's Matches
All eyes will be on Portugal talisman Cristiano Ronaldo once again on Wednesday at the FIFA World Cup after his blistering display earlier in the tournament.
The forward grabbed a remarkable hat-trick in the 3-3 draw against Spain on Friday, cementing his status as the ultimate big-game player. Next up for Ronaldo and Portugal will be Morocco, who will surely be facing elimination if they are defeated.
Later in the day, Spain are back in action and will be expected to get the job done against Iran in another Group B tussle. Sandwiched between those two matches, the fourth Group A match of the competition will see Uruguay go up against Saudi Arabia.
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Here are the fixtures in full, a prediction for each and a look at how these two groups are looking ahead of another trio of absorbing games.
Wednesday Fixtures and TV Schedule
(Group B) Portugal vs. Morocco: 1 p.m. BST/8 a.m. ET
(Group A) Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia: 4 p.m. BST/11 a.m. ET
(Group B) Iran vs. Spain: 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. ET
This is how Group A and B are shaping up ahead of the action on Wednesday:
Wednesday Preview
Although Ronaldo's record with free-kicks hasn't been the best in major international tournaments down the years, there was a sense of inevitability when he stood over the ball in the 88th minute within shooting range against Spain.
With so much pressure on him, Ronaldo found the top corner with a pinpoint effort, adding another showpiece moment to his highlight reel.
As noted by Portuguese football writer Tom Kundert, the Selecao had rarely found the back of the net from distance at previous World Cups:
Finding a way of shutting down Ronaldo on Wednesday, especially after the confidence he would have gained from that incredible individual display, is going to be difficult for Morocco.
The north African side will be aware they need points here, too. They were floored in injury time in their opening match against Iran, conceding a 95th-minute own goal and losing 1-0.
Following that game, Uruguay face Saudi Arabia in a match the former are expected to win comfortably.
The South Americans grabbed a late win in their first match against Egypt thanks to Jose Gimenez; as noted by the Warriors of Uruguay Twitter account, their centre-backs are a big threat in the opposition box:
What is worrying for La Celeste is that Luis Suarez's radar was well off target in the game against Egypt, as he squandered a number of clear-cut chances.
As noted by Spanish football journalist David Cartlidge, he undid plenty of smart play from his team-mates:
Against Saudi Arabia, who were hopeless in defence when they lost 5-0 to Russia on Thursday, both Suarez and Edinson Cavani will surely get themselves into a number of goalscoring positions.
Spain, meanwhile, should be able to build on some positive moments from their match against Portugal when they finish the day's action against Iran.
Diego Costa, who was on the scoresheet twice on Friday, and a number of their attacking stars were in fine form in that encounter. Iran showed they can be dogged in their win over Morocco, although they will be going up against a much better opponent here.
Predictions: Portugal 2-0 Morocco, Uruguay 3-0 Saudi Arabia, Spain 2-0 Iran
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