Portugal vs Luxembourg
Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal are all but secured a top-two spot in UEFA’s World Cup 2022 qualifying Group A. The Selecao are currently in second, seven points clear of third-placed Luxembourg with just three games left to play, so a draw against the Red Lions will be enough to seal the deal.
But the Portuguese would prefer to be back in pole position in the group to gain automatic qualification for Qatar, so they will be gunning for victory at home against Luxembourg this midweek. The World Cup 2022 betting odds have Ronaldo and co. as big favourites to do just that.
However, the Red Lions of Luxembourg have shown throughout this qualifying campaign that they are a much-improved side and could give the Selecao some headaches.
Talking Points
Ronaldo continues to rack up the goals
Cristiano Ronaldo’s ability to rack up the goals for club and country is simply remarkable. The 36-year-old, who already has five goals in six appearances on his return to Manchester United, added to his record men’s international goals tally over the weekend as he scored his 112th goal in a 3-0 friendly win against World Cup hosts Qatar.
Ronaldo has now scored 10 goals in his last 10 appearances for his country. That includes two late goals in Portugal’s dramatic comeback win over the Republic of Ireland in their last home qualifier.
Surprisingly, Ronaldo (three goals) has not been the Selecao’s main man in this qualifying campaign; Liverpool’s Diogo Jota is the current leading scorer with four goals.
However, Jota has not been training with the team and missed the friendly against Qatar due to a reported muscle injury. That means Ronaldo, who played only one half against Qatar, will be tasked to lead the Portuguese attack and create more World Cup 2022 highlights.
RB Leipzig striker Andre Silva got the start against Qatar and scored a late goal. But after being the only attacking player to play all 90 minutes, he could make way for Portugal’s other stars against Luxembourg.
The Manchester-based trio of Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and Bruno Fernandes are all expected to return to the first XI after starting the friendly on the bench.
Improving Luxembourg get star striker back
Luxembourg are no longer the perennial punching bag they once were. The Red Lions have held their own in the World Cup qualifiers and are currently third in the Group A table.
They defeated the Republic of Ireland away and Azerbaijan at home, the first time they’ve had two World Cup qualifying wins in their history.
Gerson Rodrigues (8 goals in 38 caps) has been crucial to the team’s success. The 26-year-old Troyes striker has scored three of their five goals in qualifying. That includes the dramatic late winner against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
Rodrigues was suspended in Luxembourg’s narrow 1-0 home defeat to Serbia over the weekend. But even without their star striker, the Red Lions were quite competitive against the new group leaders. They had just a bit more possession (52 per cent to 48) and finished level on shots at 11 apiece.
Rodrigues is set to return against Portugal, which should be a huge boost. He is the leader of a promising young generation of Luxembourg players that also includes 24-year-old midfielders Olivier Thill and Danel Sinani, who plays for Huddersfield Town in the Championship on loan from Premier League club Norwich. Sinani is the team’s second-leading scorer with six goals in 37 caps.
History
Portugal have absolutely dominated Luxembourg in their head-to-heads. The Selecao are 16-1-1 in 18 meetings against the Red Lions, whose only win came in 1961.
The Portuguese have won each of their last 11 meetings, the most recent of which came last March in their first World Cup qualifying matchup. After Rodrigues gave Luxembourg a shock lead, Jota, Ronaldo, and Joao Palhinha scored as Portugal came from behind to win 3-1.
Betting Tip
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Portugal vs Luxembourg | Luxembourg Asian Handicap +2.50 @ 2.11 |
| October 13, 02:45 (GMT+8) |
SBOTOP odds have Portugal as overwhelming -2.50 favourites on the Asian Handicap market with a price of 1.84. However, that number appears to underestimate the visitors, who have lost by three or more goals just once in the 11 matches.
With Rodrigues back in the lineup, Luxembourg will be a bigger threat to score. It’s unlikely they will get a point out of their trip to Portugal, but they should at least be reasonably competitive and come away with just a one- to two-goal defeat at most.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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