Will Portugal go top of the table?
In the next few days, the final decisions will be made as to which teams will qualify directly for the World Cup in Qatar and which teams will have to take a lap of honour via the play-offs. In Group A, it all comes down to a heart-stopping final, for which the Portuguese will want to put themselves in the better position on Thursday. Oddsmakers see the visitors as favourites and are offering odds of 1.37 to bet on the southern Europeans in the Ireland vs Portugal match.
The team around captain Cristiano Ronaldo travels to the British Isles to face Ireland. With a treble, the visitors jump to the top of the table before the big showdown against the Serbs. Even though the Iberians’ record in qualifying is almost impeccable, the Red-Greens can expect a tough piece of work. This was already evident in the first leg between the two nations.
For the hosts, there is not much at stake in this duel, but the generally weak performance in the World Cup qualifiers should be ended with conciliatory results. It will be difficult to knock the Luxembourgers from third place if they don’t show any weakness in Azerbaijan. But the last games raise a bit of hope for a surprise.
Ireland – statistics & current form
The men from the British Isles have participated in a World Cup three times so far. Their greatest success was reaching the quarter-finals in Italy in 1990. The Greens achieved the feat of ending all their games with a draw. They finished second in their group, and in the last 16 they beat Romania on penalties. But the fourth participation will not happen next year at least.
Ireland were out of the World Cup race early
Very disappointingly, head coach Stephen Kenny’s side bowed out of the race for the top two places in Group A early on. After six games, the Boys in Green have only one win to their name.
With five points, the Irish are currently in fourth place, behind the much lower-ranked national team from Luxembourg. The gap to the top of the table is a whopping twelve points.
The Boys in Green are unbeaten in four games
But the hosts have shown their better side in recent weeks. The hosts have now gone four games without defeat. In addition to a 1-1 draw against Azerbaijan, there was a remarkable 1-1 draw against Serbia and two wins in Azerbaijan (3-0) and against Qatar (4-0). In the first leg against their upcoming opponents from Portugal, Kenny’s team also looked like a sure winner until shortly before the end.
For the match on Thursday, however, the betting companies see black when it comes to how the points will be distributed. In the Ireland vs. Portugal match, all predictions go in the direction of a success for the visitors.
Last year’s UEFA Nations League performance also revealed more shadow than light. In League B, the Irish at least left Bulgaria behind and avoided relegation.
Predicted line-up of Ireland:
Kelleher – Stevens, Egan, Duffy, Omobamidele, Doherty – Hendrick, Hourihane – McGrath, Robinson, Idah
Last matches played by Ireland:
Friendly match
10/12 2021 – Ireland 4 – 0 Qatar
World Cup Qualification UEFA 1st Round Grp. A
10/09 2021 – Azerbaijan 0 – 3 Ireland
09/07 2021 – Ireland 1 – 1 Serbia
09/04 2021 – Ireland 1 – 1 Azerbaijan
09/01 2021 – Portugal 2 – 1 Ireland
Portugal – Statistics & current form
Warm up for the grand final on Thursday for the Selecao. The Iberians want to make the leap back to the top of the table with a success on the island and create the best conditions for the last group matchday.
After six games, the southern Europeans are in second place in the Group A table. The gap to the match-free Serbians is one point, so a win would give them the place in the sun. Due to the better goal difference, even a draw would be enough for the Portuguese team.
Will Ronaldo send the visitors to the World Cup?
The showdown in Lisbon will take place on Sunday, when the red and green team will welcome the direct rivals from Serbia in Lisbon. At the moment, there is certainly a lot to be said for the guests. With sixteen goals, the European champions from 2016 have a very strong offensive. This is of course led by captain and figurehead Cristiano Ronald, who has already scored six times.
The defence does an even better job. Goalkeeper Patricio and his front men have only allowed four goals in the qualifying matches. This is the absolute top value in this group. Accordingly, the betting companies are expecting them to keep a clean sheet this time as well.
Portugal last with five victories in a row
The Selecao have won their last five games in a row. The last defeat for the red and green team was against Belgium in the last 16 of the European Championship. After the 0:1 defeat, the tournament was over for the Iberians. Now it’s time to punch their ticket to the next finals. It would be the Portuguese’s eighth participation in a World Cup and failure in the qualifying group would be a bitter disappointment. But even with a defeat against the Serbs, there is still the diversions via the play-off matches.
Predicted line-up of Portugal:
Patricio – Mendes, Dias, Pepe, Cancelo – Fernandes, Moutinho, Palhinha – Silva, Silva, Ronaldo
Last matches played by Portugal:
World Cup Qualification UEFA 1st Round Grp. A
10/12 2021 – Portugal 5 – 0 Luxembourg
Friendly match
10/09 2021 – Portugal 3 – 0 Qatar
World Cup Qualification UEFA 1st Round Grp. A
09/07 2021 – Azerbaijan 0 – 3 Portugal
Friendly match
09/04 2021 – Qatar 1 – 3 Portugal
World Cup Qualification UEFA 1st Round Grp. A
09/01 2021 – Portugal 2 – 1 Ireland
Ireland – Portugal Direct Comparison / H2H Balance
There are seven duels between the two teams in the annals. The hosts got the upper hand twice and the Portuguese won three times. In the first leg, the Red-Greens narrowly escaped embarrassment. Until the 89th minute, the Irish were 1-0 up. But a double strike by Ronaldo turned the tide in favour of the southern Europeans.
In fact, the away team has never won this clash. According to the bookmakers, that will change on Thursday. In the match between Ireland and Portugal, all predictions go in the direction of a success for the visitors. The games on the island have not been goal spectacles so far. In the three duels, only four goals have been scored.
Ireland – Portugal Tip
The visitors certainly have more at stake in this clash than the home side. However, they will not want to see their positive streak of four unbeaten games snapped. Kenny’s team already showed in the first leg that the Boys in Green are capable of posing serious problems for the Portuguese. Nevertheless, the odds in the match between Ireland and Portugal speak a clear language in favour of the southern Europeans.
They want to take the lead in Group A with a win and put themselves in a good position for the grand final on Sunday. In the event of a win, the pressure would be on the Serbians, as the Selecao would then only need a draw in Lisbon.
We expect an attacking game in which both teams try to get the three-pointer. Therefore, our recommendation in the match Ireland vs. Portugal is to bet on a duel in which both teams score. For this we get odds of 2.20 at the top.
We also see the Iberians, led by Ronaldo, in the favourite role. Alternatively, the bet HT/FT 2/2 is a promising alternative in the match Ireland vs. Portugal, at odds of 1.95.
