Portugal vs Luxembourg prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-09-10 18:45.
Portugal reached the halfway stage of UEFA European Championship qualification (ECQ) with a flawless record (W5, GF15, GA0) by beating Slovakia 1-0 on Friday night. Theyâre anything but a âtwo-man teamâ, but either Bruno Fernandes or Cristiano Ronaldo have scored in all five of those fixtures to get manager Roberto MartĂnezâs reign off to a flyer following last yearâs disappointing World Cup quarter-final exit.
Others may have to step up now that Ronaldo is suspended after being booked against Slovakia, and following two consecutive 1-0 away wins, Portugal now return to action at home. Confidence will be high among the 2016 European champions after winning their last three home games âto nilâ and prevailing in all nine home H2Hs against Luxembourg without conceding.
This Luxembourg side has already exceeded expectations by winning three ECQ games in one cycle for the first time since their attempt to reach Euro 1996, and now sit in third place in Group J followingâs Fridayâs 3-1 victory over Iceland. For the first time since September 2018, Luc Holtzâs men have roared to three consecutive international wins and only trail second-placed Slovakia on goal difference (W3, D1, L1).
Getting anything out of this trip to the Algarve still seems a stretch given the 80 places between them in the FIFA rankings (Portugal:#9, Luxembourg:#89) as the Red Lions chase an unprecedented third consecutive ECQ away game without defeat (W1, D1). Still, theyâre no strangers to defying the odds, as Juneâs 2-0 win in Bosnia-Herzegovina ended a sequence of 16 ECQ away matches without a victory (D2, L14).
Players to watch: After netting on his 29th birthday against Slovakia, Bruno Fernandes now has three goal contributions (G2, A1) in his last three appearances for club and country, and scored for Portugal against Luxembourg here in 2021. Ten years Fernandesâ junior, Yvandro Borges Sanches is making a name for himself after netting in both of Luxembourgâs last two games.
Hot streak: Portugal netted after the 75th minute in each of the last seven H2Hs (W7).