PORTUGAL begin their preparations for Euro 2024 as they host Finland in an international friendly on Tuesday.
The Portuguese continue to impress in recent weeks and given their fine record against the Finns, should claim the upper hand once again.
Portugal qualified for Euro 2024 at a canter as they easily swept past every single opposition in their group. However, their last outing was a friendly against Slovenia back in March which ended in a 2-0 defeat.
The former European champions will be keen to make a swift return to winning ways and build some momentum ahead of this summer’s tournament. Roberto Martinez’s men had claimed 11 straight wins prior to that defeat in Slovenia, keeping nine clean sheets in that run.
Finland are not going to the European Championship after finishing third in Group H behind Denmark and Slovenia. Their recent form has been a bit erratic, with three wins and four defeats from their last seven matches.
The Finns did claim a 2-1 victory over Estonia in an international friendly back in March. However, that was their first friendly win since 2021 having gone 10 fixtures without a victory.
How the bookies view it: Portugal overwhelmingly fancied
Portugal have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 2/11 by bet365 to claim the win. An unlikely victory for Finland is priced at 12/1 while a draw is valued at 6/1.
Head to head: Portugal well clear
Portugal have lost only once to Finland, having claimed five wins and three draws from six previous matches. The last meeting between both teams was a friendly back in 2011 which ended 2-0 in favour of the Portuguese.
Players to watch: Ronaldo still vital
Ronaldo continues to prove his worth and is coming off a season where he finished as the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League with 35 goals. The 39-year-old forward has also found the net 10 times in his last 10 appearances for Portugal and is priced at 1/2 by bet365 to get on the score sheet once again.
Portugal have been solid at the back at times, keeping nine clean sheets in their last 12 matches. Ruben Dias is often the shield at the back and can lead the hosts to another clean sheet at 4/5 with bet365.
Probable line-ups
Portugal are likely to go with a strong line-up with Cristiano Ronaldo getting the nod in attack. The likes of Teemu Pukki and Robin Lod are expected to feature for Finland.
Portugal: Diogo Costa, Dias, Danilo Perreira, Inacio, Dalot, Cancelo, Palhinha, Neves, Silva, Fernandes, Ronaldo
Finland: Hradecky, Niskanen, Jensen, Vaisanen, Soiri, Kamara, Lod, Suhonen, Peltola, Pohjanpalo, Pukki
Anything else catch the eye?
Portugal have too much quality for Finland and should be dominant on Tuesday. A -2 handicap could be considered at 13/10 by bet365 while they could also be backed to win both halves at 5/4 with bet365.
Given Portugal’s defensive showings, a win to nil could also be on the cards at 5/6 by bet365.
This International Friendly match between Portugal and Finland will be played on Jun 4, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Portugal vs Finland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
