There is only pride at stake as Portugal host Iceland in their final Group J fixture in the European Championship qualifiers. Having eased past all opponents throughout the campaign, the Portuguese will be looking to hold on to their 100% record and should be too strong for Iceland who can no longer qualify for next year’s tournament.
It has been a fantastic qualifying campaign for Portugal, who are looking to finish with a 100% record in Group J. Roberto Martinez’s men have mostly eased past their opponents in this group, scoring an impressive 27 goals across nine matches and conceding just two.
The former European champions picked up a 2-0 victory over Liechtenstein in their previous qualifying fixture. As always, they were comfortable throughout the encounter with second half goals from Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo earning them the win.
With the likes of Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva and Diogo Jota in attack, Portugal were always going to steamroll most teams in the group. However, their defence has also stood out with eight clean sheets in their nine qualifying matches while they are yet to concede a single goal at home.
Iceland are coming off a defeat as they were beaten 4-2 by Slovakia last time out in the qualifiers. They took an early lead through Orri Oskarsson but went on to concede four goals before Andri Gudjohnsen made the score line respectable midway through the second half.
It was a fate sealing result for Iceland, who needed the win to remain in contention for a top two finish. The defeat leaves Age Hareide’s men fourth on the table, nine points behind second placed Slovakia which means they will be missing a second straight European Championship having failed to qualify for Euro 2020.
The defeat also extends Iceland’s poor record on their recent travels having lost four of their last five away matches across all competitions. Their defence has been constantly carved open having conceded 12 goals in that run.
How the bookies view it
Portugal have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 2/11 by bet365. An unlikely victory for Iceland is valued at 18/1 by William Hill while Unibet is offering odds of 13/2 for a draw.
Head to head
Portugal have never lost to Iceland, claiming three wins and a draw from four previous matches. They picked up a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in June with Cristiano Ronaldo netting the only goal.
Players to watch
Portugal are stacked in the attacking third with Cristiano Ronaldo, Diogo Jota, Bruno Fernandes and Goncalo Ramos all impressing in the qualifiers. Given all that quality, the Portuguese could be backed to produce over 2.5 goals at evens with Paddy Power.
Portugal have also shown their quality at the other end of the pitch with Ruben Dias and Goncalo Inacio forming a solid partnership. Both men are in line to feature and can lead the hosts to a clean sheet at 8/13 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Portugal have won to nil in eight of their nine qualifying matches and could be set for a repeat at 5/6 with BetVictor. Given their attacking quality, the hosts are likely to score multiple goals and could be backed in the -2 handicap market at 6/4 with Paddy Power.
With Portugal expected to be dominant on Sunday, they could be tipped to win both halves at 29/20 by William Hill.
This Euro 2024 match between Portugal and Iceland will be played on Nov 19, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Portugal vs Iceland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
