Czech Republic vs Portugal prediction: EUROPE: UEFA Nations League – League A betting tips on match 2022-09-23 18:45.
With no World Cup action this summer, the Czech Republic can throw everything into their final two 2022/23 UEFA Nations League (UNL) fixtures, knowing that wins over Portugal and Switzerland could even see them make the UNL finals. However, lying just a point ahead of fourth-placed Switzerland in Group A2, their more realistic goal is to avoid relegation to Group B for the next edition.
They’ve only won one of their last six matches too (D2, L3), fading after a promising start to this tournament, so they’ll be relieved to be playing this fixture at home, where they’re unbeaten since September 2020 (W7, D4). However this will be a tough test for them, as they’ve lost their last three H2Hs against Portugal, although this is their first ever meeting here as the Czech Republic.
Portugal, winners of this competition in 2019, are seeking to return to the finals with a winner-takes-all showdown with Spain likely to determine the group winner in midweek. They’ll know that avoiding defeat here is essential to keep the pressure on their Iberian rivals as they look to bounce back from a surprise 1-0 defeat to Switzerland in their last UNL fixture.
That was their first-ever UNL away defeat (W3, D3) but as it was their third consecutive such match in which they conceded first, they are clearly vulnerable early on, something which they’ll want to rectify as they head to Prague for the first time since October 1989, when they lost 2-1 to Czechoslovakia.
Players to watch: Jan Kuchta was the last man to score for the Czech Republic and he laid on assists in each of his last two club appearances. Portugal’s João Cancelo scored in the reverse fixture and has assisted in two of his last three club appearances.
Hot stat: Portugal have won the corner count in five of their last six internationals.