UEFA Nations League: Portugal vs. Switzerland Preview, Odds, Prediction

Portugal and Switzerland meet in the UEFA Nations League round 2 on Sunday afternoon. The two sides know one another very well, as they have met three times in the past few years. Portugal was near a loss in Spain, yet recovered against the big rivals and eventually took a point from that event. Meanwhile, Switzerland lost in the Czech Republic, which was their third straight event without a win. Something that isn’t problematic at the moment but needs to be taken care of as soon as possible.

Preview

Portugal (-166) escaped a loss in Spain with Ricardo Horta’s late goal. Ricardo Santos hit the jackpot with Horta’s introduction on the pitch in the second half, and like so many times before, Selecao showed incredible fighting mentality, saving the situation.

Ronaldo and the boys are in solid shape, with seven wins, two draws, and one loss in the last 10 games. That sole defeat was against Serbia in the World Cup qualifiers, which eventually pushed Portugal into the playoffs.

Santos ‘ unit won six over the last seven home games, not allowing a goal in five of them. Meanwhile, apart from one victory, the Portuguese unit scored at least two goals. So we can say that they perform pretty confidently on home soil.

Switzerland (+375) apparently removed the foot off the gas pedal after securing the World Cup ticket. After the finish of the World Cup qualifiers, they didn’t win in three straight, losing to England on the road, 2-1, playing 1-1 against Kosovo, and suffering a defeat in the most recent contest against the Czech Republic, 2-1.

When playing competitive games, the Swiss side is one very tough bunch to break, and they rarely allow goals. At the finish of the World Cup qualifiers, we saw them conceding only once in six events.

Murat Yakin mixed the lineup a little bit, and we didn’t see Switzerland’s strongest lineup. We can expect to see the same in this event as well.

Latest News

Ronaldo will be back in the starting lineup, according to the sources from Portugal. Jose Sa, the Wolves goalkeeper, is out, Vitinha, Duarte, and Jota should be out as well.

On the other side, Shaquiri could be back in the lineup, but some of the starters will sit on the bench for sure.

Head to Head Games

The two countries met in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. Both used the home-court edge, winning 2-0. In2019, Portugal hosted Switzerland in a friendly international, and they didn’t have any trouble in beating the Swiss unit, 3-1.

Prediction

Portugal has the home-court advantage, which is a very important factor. As you could see, Selecao is extremely confident at home, and given the fact that the Swiss unit might combine their lineup, their win here shouldn’t be questioned. Even if Yakin sends his top team, that won’t change our pick because the hosts are better than Switzerland. The odds on this suggestion are -166, and that is quite solid. For those willing to take some risk for higher profits, go with Switzerland not scoring a goal.

Pick: Portugal -166