Khusanov and Uzbekistan face Portugal with World Cup hopes on the line

Portugal tonight, everything on the line

Your team's second Group K match kicks off tonight, June 23, at 19:00 Swedish time / 18:00 UK. Portugal await, and the stakes are simple: lose and the path to the knockout rounds effectively closes after the 3–1 defeat to Colombia in the opener (1). You can watch on ITV in the UK, or follow the Guardian's live blog (1) (4). Swedish viewers have the match on FotbollDirekt's listed channels (2).

Cannavaro: not about me and Ronaldo

Fabio Cannavaro refused to frame this as a personal duel with Cristiano Ronaldo. "It's not a head-to-head," your head coach said ahead of the match (5). Cannavaro knows his former teammate well, but the focus is on getting Uzbekistan's first World Cup win, not old friendships.

Portugal under the microscope

Cristiano Ronaldo and João Félix are expected to lead the Portugal attack, with Chico Conceição and Tomas Araújo also in contention (2). Portugal's own campaign has been uneven, and the pressure on Ronaldo's form is real. Your team can exploit that.

Khusanov carries City pride

Abdukodir Khusanov is one of three Manchester City players across both squads tonight. He lines up alongside Ruben Dias and Matheus Nunes, who will be on the opposite side. A World Cup debut campaign that already has Fazyullaev's historic goal against Colombia now gets another chapter.

Fan-reaktioner

City fans on Reddit are watching this match closely. Three of their own are on the pitch, Khusanov for Uzbekistan, Dias and Nunes for Portugal, and the thread is buzzing with the novelty of that overlap. The mood is warm towards Khusanov, with several noting how quickly he has become a fan favourite at the Etihad. Join the discussion.