Will Cristiano Ronaldo feature in Portugal's starting XI in their round of 16 game against Switzerland at Lusail Stadium in Doha Tuesday?
That was the question doing the rounds at the press conference hall when coach Fernando Santos entered to attend the curious journalists' queries the day before.
Portugal, despite winning the first two matches in the group stage, had to face a 2-1 defeat at the hands of South Korea to lose the momentum just before the knockout phase.
Ronaldo in his first attempt was involved in the second best World Cup result for Portugal when they lost to France in the 2006 World Cup semi-final, and eventually placed fourth.
Since then, Ronaldo, the only player to score in five different World Cup editions, has not been able take his team past the Round of 16 stage.
In his last appearance in the world's biggest football event, the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is already having a complex situation on and off the field after giving an odious interview to Piers Morgan just before the tournament.
He elaborated on the treatment he got from Manchester United which resulted in an immediate impact as broke ties with the club.
And it became worse, as the Portuguese got involved in a dispute with a South Korean player after getting substituted in the 65th minute of their final group stage match.
When asked about the situation, coach Santos cleared his throat and criticized his captain: “At the end of the match I went to a ‘flash interview' and a press conference. I repeat. During the game I heard nothing. I only saw him quarrel with a Korean (Cho Gue-sung). I've since seen the pictures and didn't like it at all. I didn't like it at all. These matters are settled internally. They are settled. Period.”
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Santos though did not answer directly if he was planning to bench the former Real Madrid star who found himself out of favor a good number of times this season for the English club.
“The starting team, the players will know it when they arrive in the locker room. As always since I have been in this position,” he assured.
"I do not read this type of material. It is not a lack of respect, it is simply that we have three days to train for a game and I am not looking at other kinds of news. We focus on the upcoming match."
On the other hand, Switzerland, after opening their campaign with a 1-0 win against Cameroon, lost to Brazil by the same margin, and had to came back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 against Serbia in the final group stage contest to confirm the round-16 berth.
Santos is very clear about the threat the Swiss can possess.
"It won't be the first time against the Swiss, we know it will be a difficult match," he added.
"They are a well-organized team with high-quality players and they know their way of playing very well.
"They are very well synced and are always focused, and that is what we expect in this match - we will face a disciplined side."
