World Cup 2018: Ranking the 7 best attacking lineups
You need to score goals to win a football match and there can be no further explanation for this. With the World Cup knocking at the door, it's time for the teams to furbish their attacking swords. With the likes of Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo, who have redefined the goal scoring approaches, we can expect a record number of goals scored in this world cup.
All the heavyweights, going to the World Cup, prefer to play attacking football and there are many names that can outshine any defence on their given day.
The fate of these countries will largely depend on how their forward line performs. It is this aspect of their game that will decide which powerhouse will lift the coveted trophy on 15th July at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
Let's find out which team has the best forward line up and who can live up to the expectation in the cauldron of the greatest show on earth.
#7 Portugal
The 2016 Euro Champions will be eyeing their first ever World Cup this time around. The Fernando Santos managed side will hugely depend on their talisman Cristiano Ronaldo to score goals. When it comes to scoring, there are very few players who are as good as him.
Over the recent years, the Real Madrid forward has emerged as a serious threat in front of goal. He is currently the highest active international goalscorer in the world with 81 goals, 17 ahead of Argentina's Lionel Messi. Cristiano has inspired Portugal to qualify for the World Cup as toppers of Group B.
He singlehandedly scored 15 goals in the qualifying campaign, making him the second highest scorer after Poland's Robert Lewandowski with all-time European Qualifying record of 16 goals.
Ronaldo will be appearing in his last World Cup and will be hoping to add his overall tally of 4 goals in the greatest stage. He is the spine of the Portuguese attack and the 5-time Balon d'Or winner is unlikely to disappoint this time.
Adrien Silva, the AC Milan forward is another crucial name in their attack. However, he hasn't had a great season with the Italian outfit, but 9 goals in the qualifiers will definitely make him one of the players to watch out for in the tournament.
Goncalo Guedes can be the X-factor for the European Champions. In a recently concluded friendly, he netted twice against Algeria and he is believed to start against Spain in their first group league game alongside Cristiano.
Sporting's Bruno Fernandes will be operating from the left wing. He has scored 16 goals and provided 20 assists this season and will be delivering crosses to his captain. Bernardo Silva, the other winger, could prove vital in their surge of becoming champions of the world. The Manchester City man had his fair amount of opportunities in their title-winning run.
Ricardo Quaresma may have reached the fag end of his career, but he has proven many times that he can score goals whenever his team needs it the most. Gelson Martins, with his 13 goals for Sporting this season, can also come off the bench and contribute to the scoresheet.
Portugal has high hopes of qualifying from the group stage and if their forward line clicks, they can even go a long way in the tournament.