Portugal vs. Turkey Preview, Odds, Prediction

One of the World Cup qualifiers‘ derbies is the clash between Portugal and Turkey. These two sides are very good, with lots of quality and potential, and what is most important, they play interesting football. For us, fans/bettors, that is essential because who would want to bet on dull and boring events. Now, about this clash, the hosts are favorites because their top stars are playing well for the clubs and because of the home-field edge. Yet, knowing the unpredictable nature of the Turkish players, this doesn’t have to mean anything.

Preview

Portugal (-250) didn’t win the last two games in the group stage, and that cost them first place. After playing without goals in Ireland, Selecao lost at home to Serbia, 1-2 in a shocking match, which saw the Serbs coming back from behind and stunning the hosts in the event’s final moments.

Prior to this, Portugal posted five wins in a row, in which they netted at least two goals per game and kept three clean sheets. Though, the rivals were mediocre, to be honest, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Ireland, etc.

The good news for this unit is that their forwards – Felix and Cristiano Ronaldo, have played superb football lately, particularly Felix, who has been carrying Atletico over the recent few weeks.

Turkey (+600) have three wins in a row, yet a slip at home to Norway, once they played just 1-1 cost them the first place in the group. That is eliminated them from the race for the top spot.

The Turks are playing open-minded and aggressive football, as they like to attack regardless of the opponent on the other side. They do concede often, but also score lots of goals as well.

In six of their last eight events, we saw both teams scoring, and during that stretch, all but one of these events ended with three or more hits.

Latest News

Selecao didn’t have some notable problems before this event, and they are expected to start with the best possible lineup. Ronaldo and Felix paired upfront according to all the relevant sources from the Portuguese media.

The same goes for the Turkish team. The manager Stefan Kuntz will have all of his regular players at his disposal.

Head to Head Games

The last meeting between these two nations was in 2012, a friendly international once Turkey won, 1-3. Prior to that clash, they had three games at the EURO championships (96, 00, 08), and on all three occasions, Portugal won without a goal allowed.

Prediction

Portugal’s attack is at a way higher level than Turkey’s fragile defense. You need to realize that the Turks play in waves and that they oscillate. If they strike first, the momentum is on their side, and that is how they win games. But… they are often exposed, like against the Netherlands in Amsterdam once Oranje packed six goals in their net. That’s why we believe that Portugal won’t lose, and that they will post a routine victory, with a bit higher margin, two or three goals at least.

Pick: Portugal -1.5

Here is the preview for other WC qualifiers playoff game:

Italy vs. North Macedonia