PORTUGAL managed to survive the Group of Death but their Euro 2020 task doesn't get any easier as they now have to face Belgium in a last-16 Clash of the Titans.
The holders were made to sweat on Wednesday night and were heading out of the tournament when they trailed to France while shock troops Hungary were leading against Germany.
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But Cristiano Ronaldo rode to the rescue once more as he fired home his second penalty of the night to salvage a 2-2 draw and bust my coupon after I had tipped the French to win.
A German equaliser in Munich then took more pressure off the Portuguese but it also saw the holders finish third in the group, lining up a daunting showdown with Belgium in Seville.
Roberto Martinez's men were one of the favourites heading into the tournament and delivered on my banker bet by topping Group B ahead of Denmark, Russia and Finland.
Key men Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard are getting back to full fitness after injury but Martinez will need all his players performing at their peak to see off Portugal.
How the bookies view it
This is a hard match to call and it's reflected in the odds with Belgium just slight favourites. They are 8/5 (SBK) to win inside 90 minutes and 3/4 (Betway) to qualify while Portugal are 13/10 (Unibet) to reach the quarter-final and 28/13 (SBK) to finish the job without extra time. The draw at 90 minutes pays 12/5 at SkyBet and is worth considering.
Head to head
Portugal only just edge the overall head to head, winning six of the 18 meetings. Belgium have claimed five victories with the other seven games drawn. But the Portuguese have been dominant in recent years, going five games without defeat. Three of those matches were wins, including 4-0 and 2-1 victories in the Euro 2008 qualifiers.
Players to watch
De Bruyne's importance to Belgium was underlined by his match-winning contribution off the bench against Denmark. He set up the leveller then scored the winner before adding another assist in the win over Finland. The Manchester City star is 4/1 with BetVictor for anytime scorer and 5/2 with McBookie for an assist.
It's hard to look past Ronaldo for a Portugal goal after netting five times in the group stage. He delivered for me when I tipped him to score against Germany and is 17/10 with Unibet for anytime scorer here which looks terrific value.
Anything else catch the eye?
Portugal have a reputation for being a defensive team under Santos but their group games were thrillers, with 13 goals scored across the three matches. Belgium also netted seven times in their group clashes so hopefully the goals won't dry up in the knockout stages. Over 2.5 goals is 11/10 at Paddy Power while both teams to score pays 6/7 at SportNation.
We've seen four penalties in games involving Portugal so far and Boylesports are offering 21/10 on another spot-kick being awarded here.
There are some interesting requested bets at 888Sport and I like the look of the 19/20 on offer for each team to win over 2.5 corners and pick up over 9.5 booking points.
This Euro 2020 match between Belgium and Portugal will be played on Jun 27, 2021 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Belgium vs Portugal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
