For the Portuguese Selecao around superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, the first two games of the World Cup qualifiers did not go according to plan. A narrow 1-0 win over outsiders Azerbaijan and a draw against Serbia means they are currently only second in the table.
With a squad full of superstars, it is obvious that the Portuguese still have a lot of room for improvement. In the upcoming away match, the ball artists from the south will have the opportunity to really get their frustrations off their chest.
The hosts are the team from Luxembourg, which is a glaring underdog. Comparing the two nations would be like comparing apples and oranges. That’s why we can expect a clear-cut affair on Tuesday. The bookmakers are taking the same line, with their odds on Luxembourg against Portugal clearly in favour of the visitors.
Prediction & Live Odds for Luxembourg vs. Portugal 30/03/2021
Considering the very different conditions in terms of squad quality, anything other than an away win would be a massive crash landing for the favourites from the south. Accordingly, the bookmakers offer hardly any profitable odds for a bet on 2 for Luxembourg vs. Portugal.
A big win for the visiting team, which still has some ground to make up anyway, is more than conceivable on Tuesday. We therefore put our money on a two-goal handicap win for Portugal (2 -2AH), for which odds of up to 1.90 are offered. In fact, Portugal has won most of the direct duels by at least three goals.
Luxembourg – Statistics & current form
The start of the international season was outstanding for the men from the Duchy. Those who would have bet on an away win against Ireland in the run-up would have enjoyed juicy profits.
However, in the last three qualifying competitions they never managed more than a win. So has the expected level of success already been achieved? In any case, a prediction on the home team in the match between Luxembourg and Portugal would simply be unreliable.
Victories are scarce
In the Nations League, where the opponents are roughly on a par with the small state’s performance level, there have been the odd victories in recent years. Apart from that, however, Luxembourg is mostly cannon fodder for the larger football nations.
The European Championship qualifying campaign in 2019, when six defeats in eight games were recorded, is indicative of this. Even then, they were in a pool with Portugal, with Luxembourg going scoreless in both head-to-head clashes. In total, the underdogs failed to score 13 times in their 17 direct encounters.
Coach Holtz’s strategy must therefore be to concede as few goals as possible. However, it is questionable whether this will be possible in the usual 4-1-4-1 system against the strong southern Europeans, because one cannot speak of international class with this squad. Numerous players earn their money in lower leagues, only a few players stand out positively.
Against superior opponents such as the Netherlands, Sweden, France or Portugal, they have suffered numerous heavy defeats in recent years. In our view, a bet on a heavy defeat in Luxembourg vs. Portugal is therefore a good option. The Interwetten app is the best place to place your bets.
Luxembourg’s likely line-up:
Moris – Martins, Mahmutovic, Chanot, Jans – Pereira – Rodrigues, Bareiro, Thill, Thill – Sinani
Portugal – Statistics & current form
The first two games of the international season can certainly be seen as a wake-up call. On Tuesday, coach Fernando Santos will be pushing for a good performance and a big win.
The duel with the small central European state comes at the right time for this reason. Moreover, Ronaldo and Co. have good memories of their upcoming opponents.
Absolute world leaders for years
The highlight of the Portuguese team so far was the European Championship title in 2016, but since then they have repeatedly impressed with strong performances against numerous top nations. In 2018, for example, they won the Nations League Group A and last season they finished only a hair’s breadth behind world champions France.
Speaking of world champions, the technically skilled team from the south has yet to win a World Cup, but perhaps they will do so at the upcoming finals. In any case, there is no doubt that the betting odds will be right in the match between Luxembourg and Portugal. A win is also a must in order to stay on course for qualification.
There is no lack of quality
Besides national icon Cristiano Ronaldo, coach Santos can call on numerous other world-class players. Besides Bruno Fernandes, who has become something of a life insurance policy for ManU lately, youngster Joao Felix of Atletico is also on the list of superstars.
In the recent past, the 2016 European Championship winners have celebrated high victories against numerous underdogs such as Lithuania, Andorra and Luxembourg. Our tip for Luxembourg vs. Portugal is therefore that the visitors will repeatedly hit the mark and celebrate an emphatic victory. With our live score you are always on the ball.
Portugal’s likely line-up:
Lopez – Soares, Fonte, Dias, Cancelo – Oliveira, Pereira, Fernandes – Silva, Ronaldo, Jota