World Cup 2022 Daily Preview: Finalizing the knockout rounds

The final day of the group stage of the 2022 World Cup is suddenly upon us as we move into December (let us never do this winter World Cup ever again). But enough of my fussing, let’s look at the matchups:

South Korea vs. Portugal — 10 a.m.

How to Watch

FOX, Telemundo, Peacock (premium)

The Matchup

The deck is stacked against South Korea, and if they go out here they can only blame themselves for not picking up points against easier (though still very tough) opponents. The only saving grace for them is that we are very likely to see undefeated Portugal rotate players in the squad, having already clinched the top seed out of Group H.

Player to Watch: Heung-Min Son

Photo by Manuel Reino Berengui/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Quite simply, the nation’s biggest sports star has to come up big on the biggest stage. Son is in a poor run of form for both club and country, hardy helped by his broken cheek bone suffered with Tottenham that has his face behind a carbon fiber mask.

Uruguay vs. Ghana — 10 a.m.

How to Watch

FS1, Telemundo, Peacock (premium)

The Matchup

Escaping from Group H was never going to feel comfortable for Uruguay with a tough group schedule, but it was made harder by not picking up three points in a winnable game against South Korea. Now, Diego Alonso’s team must beat a Ghanaian side that knows it only needs a draw to advance from the group. If Uruguay can grab a lead early in this game, it’s could make for quite an entertaining final 45 minutes as teams jostle for positions in the group.

Player to Watch: Rodrigo Bentancur

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The Tottenham midfielder is a true maestro and can pull the strings for a talented Uruguayan attack. And if Uruguay is able to take a lead, he’s just as capable of putting a shift in defensively to help organize his side in midfield. He’s a bit of a throwback, but very rarely gives less than a 7 out of 10 performance.

Brazil vs. Cameroon — 2 p.m.

How to Watch

FOX, Telemundo, Peacock (premium)

The Matchup

It’s a David vs Goliath situation here, and personally I could use Goliath to go ahead and grab the 3 points to win me some money in my World Cup pool. In all seriousness, there is a chance for Cameroon for the same reason there’s still a chance for South Korea against Portugal — Brazil has already clinched the group win.

Player to Watch: Vincent Aboubakar

Photo by Pablo Morano/BSR Agency/Getty Images

Those of a certain age might remember Aboubakar as maybe the sweatiest player ever in FUT about 8 years ago or so. Now 30, and coming off a goal against Serbia off the bench in a 3-3 thriller, Cameroon may need just a little more magic out of Aboubakar (who, fun fact, is a current teammate of Pity Martinez at Al-Nassr FC).

Serbia vs. Switzerland — 2 p.m.

How to Watch

FS1, Telemundo, Peacock (premium)

The Matchup

Barring a Brazil loss to Cameroon, a draw will see Switzerland through to the knout rounds — always a huge advantage, but especially so for an organized team like the Swiss. But Serbia showed they have scoring power after bagging three goals (albeit in a draw) against Cameroon.

Player to Watch: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

Photo by Matteo Ciambelli/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Milinkovic-Savic is a fascinating player. He’s made his career at Lazio despite being rumored throughout his career to some of the biggest clubs in the world. He has silky touch, but what makes him unique is his physical presence. You don’t see many 6-foot 4-inch attacking midfielders, which part of what makes him so captivating to watch. He can lace a shot or unlock an opponent with a splitting pass. He’ll probably need to do one or the other in this game for Serbia to have a chance.