Former Premier League player predicts Cristiano Ronaldo will cause Portugal's loss against Switzerland by missing decisive penalty

Former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton has predicted a penalty shootout win for Switzerland when they meet Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. He added that Ronaldo would fail to convert his spot-kick in the shootout.

The Swiss will meet A Selecao in the Round of 16 of the World Cup on Tuesday, December 6, at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. Given the star quality and firepower Portugal have in their ranks, many believe they are the favorites to win this contest.

However, Sutton believes Switzerland have confidence on their side and could cause problems for Cristiano Ronaldo and Co. The Swiss finished as runners-up in Group G behind Brazil, defeating Serbia 3-2 in their final group-stage match to qualify for the 2022 FIFA World Cup knockouts.

Sutton predicted a 1-1 draw between the two teams, before adding that Switzerland would win the penalty shootout. He wrote in his column for the BBC:

"Switzerland were really passive against Brazil and didn't manage a shot on target but their other games in Qatar give us a better idea of what to expect from them here.

"Portugal have some excellent players but the Swiss will be full of confidence here after the way they overcame Serbia to get to the last 16, and they also beat Portugal when they played them in the Nations League in June."

The one-time Premier League winner added that a close encounter awaits on Tuesday, while opining that Ronaldo will have a role to play:

"This will be close and I have a feeling Cristiano Ronaldo will have a big say in the outcome - although not necessarily in a positive way.

"It is a risk versus reward scenario for Portugal if they pick Ronaldo, because his influence on the team is massive but they might have a better starter who should be in the side. If this tie goes the distance, how long should he stay on the pitch?"

Chris Sutton's prediction involving Cristiano Ronaldo missing his shot in the shootout is a bold one. The all-time leading goalscorer in men's international football has only missed twice in the seven penalty shootouts he has competed in for club and country.

Both were in the UEFA Champions League. The first was during his first tenure with Manchester United, with Ronaldo missing his spot-kick in the Champions League final against Chelsea. United, however, won that contest.

The second instance was in 2012. Ronaldo, turning out for Real Madrid, missed his penalty in a 3-1 shootout loss against Bayern Munich in the Champions League semifinals.

Ronaldo's last involvement in a penalty shootout for Portugal was in the UEFA Euro 2016 quarterfinals. He was the first to step up for A Selecao in the shootout and scored to help his team win 5-3 against Poland.

---

Cristiano Ronaldo has struggled so far at the 2022 FIFA World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo has started each of Portugal's three matches so far at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, he has struggled to hit the heights expected of him despite his team topping Group H.

Ronaldo won and scored a penalty in their 3-2 win against Ghana, but also missed two big chances and lost the ball nine times. The veteran forward was much better in the 2-0 win against Uruguay, registering three key passes, though he had no shots on target.

His most sub-par display at the ongoing FIFA World Cup came in their final Group H match against South Korea. The Real Madrid legend was at fault for the Asian side's equalizer, missed one big chance and was caught offside three times.

Cristiano Ronaldo will hope to lead by example when his team meet Switzerland.