Portugal vs Switzerland
Portugal once again find themselves deep in a major European competition. They made the semi-finals in three of four European Championships before finally claiming their first major title in Euro 2016.
And now, the reigning European champions have a prime opportunity to add more silverware to their collection as they will have home-field advantage for the inaugural UEFA Nations League Finals.
The hosts will face off against Switzerland in the semi-finals. Most UEFA Nations League 2019 predictions have Portugal going through, in part because they’ll be on home turf.
But while the Swiss lack the star power of the Portuguese, they do possess a collective spirit that has gotten them to their first major semi-final in their history.
Talking Points
Portugal’s tournament tactics
Portugal find themselves in the Nations League semis after going unbeaten (two wins, two draws) during the league phase to edge out Italy and Poland. After beating both in their first two league games, they drew against both in the second round of games to secure qualification.
What made Portugal’s qualification even more impressive was the fact that they did so without the help of superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who took time off from the team after the World Cup.
Andre Silva stepped up in Ronaldo’s absence. Silva scored three times in their four Nations League matches, including their final match against Poland to help preserve their unbeaten record.
Unfortunately, though, the big UEFA Nations League 2019 news was that Silva did not make the team due to injury. But even with Silva’s absence, the Portuguese still possess a ton of attacking talent.
Aside from the returning Ronaldo, they’ve brought Bernardo Silva — fresh off a brilliant season with English champions Manchester City — as well as Diogo Jotta, who scored nine league goals for surprise package Wolverhampton Wanderers.
And last but definitely not least, there’s Joao Felix, who has been hailed as the next Ronaldo. The 19-year-old sensation is coming off a strong debut season with Benfica, where he scored 20 goals in 43 overall appearances.
But despite all that attacking talent on hand, manager Fernando Santos’ track record suggests that Portugal will likely set up in a more conservative manner in the semi-final against Switzerland and hope to grab a goal in their rare ventures at goal.
Suddenly prolific Swiss
Switzerland’s road to the semi-finals was a surprisingly entertaining one. The Swiss won three of their four matches: one of which was a 6-0 thrashing of Iceland at home, and the other was an incredible 5-2 home win over Belgium as they came back from an 0-2 deficit inside 20 minutes.
Curiously, Switzerland got a taste of their own medicine in their most recent match as they allowed Denmark to come back from a 3-0 deficit with just six minutes remaining to draw 3-3.
But that match was just another example of the Swiss’ sudden sharpness in front of goal. That’s despite the lack of a superstar striker that they can rely on; Xherdan Shaqiri — who will be fresh off a Champions League win with Liverpool — is the team’s leading scorer with 22 goals in 80 caps, followed by inconsistent striker Haris Seferovic with 17 in 59.
Despite being the home side, Portugal will likely be all too happy to cede possession to Switzerland, who must then break down the organised Portuguese defence.
But as prolific as the Swiss have proven to be in some of their recent matches, it remains to be seen whether they can successfully find a way past a stubborn Portugal side that will be spurred on by their home crowd.
History
Portugal and Switzerland have faced each other a total of 22 times in international play. The Swiss hold the slight edge with 10 wins to the Portuguese’s seven, while there have been five draws.
They were most recently in the same qualifying group for the 2018 World Cup; the two sides exchanged 2-0 home wins.
The Swiss also came out on top 2-0 in their only other meeting in the last 20 years back in Euro 2008. That match was on their home soil as they were the co-hosts that year.
Betting Tip
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Portugal vs Switzerland | Under 2.50 Goals @ 1.84 |
| June 6, 02:45 (GMT+8) |
As high-scoring as some of the Swiss’ recent matches have been, it seems highly unlikely that Portugal will allow such a match from taking place.
During Portugal’s run to the Euro 2016 title, there were just six goals scored in their four knockout matches. And in their last four matches, there have two goals or fewer scored in all four of them.
Expect them to follow a similar conservative blueprint against a Swiss side that could struggle to break down a well-organised defence. That’s why SBOBET tips this match to finish with under 2.50 goals.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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 = €20 (Highly confident) |
= €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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