It may be the reigning European champion, but Portugal comes into the World Cup with plenty of doubters.
An ageing defence and too many players out of form are supposed to be the team's vulnerable spots.
But with one of the world’s best players, Cristiano Ronaldo, as dangerous as ever, it would be folly to dismiss the Navigators' chances.
An experienced defence, accompanied by the pure talent of players like William Carvalho, ((kar-VAY-o)) Joao Moutinho ((joo-OW moo-TEEN-o)) and Bernardo Silva, gives them a real chance of playing deep into the tournament.
And while coach Fernando Santos has faced challenges assembling his squad, with players spread across European teams, he is upbeat about Portugal’s chances.
After all, he has coached his team to just one loss in 29 internationals.
"I have absolute confidence in this squad in the same way I had absolute confidence in the team that played the European Championship in 2016. Never before 2016 had Portugal won a championship title. That squad was amazing. We would all, in the next 100 years, like to win again, and I would very much like to be one of the winners yet again."
In Group B, a rejuvenated Spain looks to be the major obstacle for Portugal.
After some lean years, the 2010 champion appears to have regained its form, scoring 36 goals in its qualifying games and easily beating nearest rival Italy, 3-nil.
Coach Julen Lopetegui ((hoo-YEN lo-peh-TEG-ee)) has put together a powerful squad, with a mix of reliable veterans and exciting young players.
"A lot of the players have been in the national team since they were children, and that's important for me, because, since a young age, they've been used to going to international tournaments, playing against the best players from every country. In my opinion, that's a good experience for them. Not all the cases are like that, because some of the players have come less.”
The team is stacked with proven La Liga performers, like veteran midfielder Andreas Iniesta and captain Sergio Ramos.
And it has English Premier League stars in Manchester City playmaker David Silva and Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea.
It figures to make the first match, between Spain and Portugal, a top one.
Fernando Santos says his team will go in as the underdog.
"It's a match between a favourite and a candidate. Favourite, Spain. Candidate, Portugal. I'm sure it will be a great match, and I have enormous confidence the candidate can -- and, I believe, will -- win, but against one of the favourites. I don't have any doubt that Spain is a very strong team, but it's not just Spain. We will not play a final with Spain, we will play the first match with Spain. But then, at the group stage, we will play against Morocco and Iran, two very strong teams, too."
After a 20-year absence from the World Cup, Morocco has shown marked improvement in recent outings, emerging from the African qualifiers as the form team.
The Atlas Lions are a talented mix of players, many brought up in European countries, and they play exciting football under French coach Herve Renard. ((her-VAY ren-AR)
A key to their success is Casablanca-born midfielder Nabil Dirar, who now plays for the Turkish team Fenerbahce.
His flair and versatility helped his old side, Monaco, to the French league title last season.
Iran, the country that broke Australian hearts in a 1997 qualifier in Melbourne, has shown good form in the lead-up to this year's tournament, too.
It is unbeaten in 18 qualifying games across two rounds and has not conceded a goal in nine clashes.
Coach Carlos Quieroz has promised his team is not going to Russia as tourists.
With star 22-year-old forward Sardar Azmoun already scoring 22 international goals, Iran has the potential to make its Russian campaign more than just a sightseeing exercise.
Meanwhile, Spain's Julen Lopetegui suggests the tournament's video assistant referee ((VAR)) technology will present an unfamiliar off-field challenge, for his team anyway.
"We need to prepare for it. We need to prepare, because there will be moments that we will not be used to. We have to be prepared for stoppages and restarts, those stoppages that are going to exist. We need to understand what the rules are, what the referees' priorities are, so we can act accordingly. We have to prepare. This is something new to us, as it doesn't exist in Spain, and we need to be ready for it at the World Cup, where the VAR will exist."
Spain and Portugal will clash on June the 15th in Sochi.
