Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal have been underachievers at the world's most prestigious tournament having not gone beyond the round of 16 since 2006 but they are warm favourites to top Group H and reach the knockout stages once again in Qatar.
Portugal are red-hot 8/13 jollies with Betfred to win their section ahead of Uruguay who should not be underestimated at 2/1. South Korea and Ghana (both 11/1) both look up against it to trouble the big two in a section that looks set to be decided by the game between the pair on November 28.
Uruguay are dark horses to go all the way with many so Group H might not be the cakewalk the odds suggest for Portugal, who are 16/1 to lift the World Cup for the first time in their history.
As for Cristiano Ronaldo, who became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in FIFA World Cup against Spain in the 2018 competition, the Manchester United (for now) supertsar is a 16/1 chance to win a first World Cup Golden Boot.
Here are the odds of who will top the group this winter:
Portugal - 8/13 with Betfred
Portugal won just three matches across the last three World Cup tournaments and they needed to qualify for Qatar in a play-off. It's a squad full of talent, many of whom ply their trade in the Premier League, but the absence of Diogo Jota is a big miss. Coach Fernando Santos has credit in the bank after guiding Portugal to success in Euro 2016 but he's come under pressure for a conservative approach that doesn't get the best out of a squad packed with international attacking stars.
Portugal are hot favourites to win this group they are no without their problems and if Cristiano Ronaldo carries his club form over to the international stage, then they will be missing a lot of chances. It might be worth opposing them to win the section at such short odds given their issues.
Uruguay - 2/1 with Betfred
Uruguay head to Qatar as 50/1 outsiders to go all the way but that price looks on the generous side given the quality at manager Diego Alonso's disposal. Alonso's appointment in December marked a turning point in Uruguay's fortunes in what had been a faltering qualifying campaign which ultimately ended with seven wins out of nine.
The two-time World Cup winners saw off Portugal in the last 16 of the 2018 World Cup and they are well equipped to get the better of their old rivals in the group stages this time around. Their attacking triumvirate of Cavani, Suarez and Nune is supported by exciting young players like Real Madrid's Feederico Valverde and that exciting blend of youth and experience can see Uruguay go deep into the tournament. They look great value at 2/1 with Betfred to win Group H.
Ghana - 11/1 with Betfred
Ghana will be looking to avenge their controversial defeat to Uruguay in the quarter-finals of the 2010 World Cup when they face those rivals in the Al Wakrah Stadium on December 2. However, they failed to even qualify four years ago and they needed a penalty-kick win over Nigeria to get to Qatar.
The Black Stars bombed out completelty in the Africa Cup of Nations, taking just one point from three group games and that has led to a revamp of the squad leading up to this tournament. Stars like Thomas Partey, Tariq Lamptey, the Ayew brothers and Ajax playmaker Mohammed Kudus bring undoubted stardust to the squad but boss Otto Addo has a hell of a job on moulding them into a cohesive unit in such a short space of time.
South Korea - 11/1 with Betfred
Barring their semi-final appearance on home turf in 2002, South Korea have failed to make any meaningful impact in major tournaments this century. They have taken just four points from six group games in the last two World Cup tournaments and although they qualified for Qatar in a canter but they are sweating on the fitness of star forward Heung-Min Son.
Despite having some talented individuals playing in Europe, not least Napoli defender Min-Jae Kim, South Korea look up against it to get out of this section.
Group H Tip
Back Uruguay to win the section at 2/1 with Betfred.
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