Portugal have won every game in the 2024 European Championship qualifiers and travel to Iceland on Tuesday. The former European champions are proving too strong for the teams in Group J and look set for another comfortable victory.
Iceland head into Tuesday’s clash off the back of a 2-1 home defeat to Slovakia in their previous qualifying fixture. They fought back from a goal down to go level into the break but ultimately conceded the winner midway through the second half.
The Icelanders are now second from bottom in the group having claimed just one win and suffered two defeats in their three matches. Interestingly their only win was a 7-0 triumph against perennial whipping boys Liechtenstein and they will be looking to channel that performance on Tuesday.
The problem for Iceland is that they have not been too convincing at home in recent times having failed to win their last four matches at Laugardalsvollur. Manager Age Hareide will be keen to focus on the positives as they have lost just once in that run with the other three matches ending in draws.
Portugal continue to steamroll their opponents in Group J as they claimed a 3-0 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina last time out. Bernardo Silva opened the just before the break while a late brace for Bruno Fernandes completed the rout.
Manager Roberto Martinez has hit the ground running as Portugal have now won all three of their matches in these qualifiers. They are two points clear at the top of Group J and look well on course for a comfortable passage to next year’s tournament in Germany.
The great thing about Portugal’s performances in these qualifiers is that they have found the perfect balance between defence and attack. The former European champions have scored 13 times in just three matches and are yet to concede a single goal so far.
How the bookies view it
Portugal are considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a win priced at 4/11 by bet365. Iceland have been installed as outsiders at home with Paddy Power offering odds of 17/2 for unlikely victory while a draw is set at odds of 9/2 by William Hill.
Head to head
Portugal have never lost to Iceland, with two wins and a draw from three previous matches. The most recent meeting was a Euro 2016 group stage clash which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Players to watch
Cristiano Ronaldo was not on target in the win over Bosnia-Herzegovina but remains Portugal’s most dangerous attacker. He has four goals already in these qualifiers and could be worth keeping an eye in to score anytime in Tuesday at 8/15 by bet365.
Portugal’s defence has also caught the eye as they are yet to concede a goal after three qualifying matches. Ruben Dias has been a rock at the back for Tuesday’s visitors and could lead them to another clean sheet at 10/11 with bet365.
Anything else catch the eye?
Portugal have won to nil in their three qualifying matches and a similar outcome could be on the cards at 6/5 by BetVictor. All three wins have been quite comfortable, so a -1 handicap can also be considered at evens with Paddy Power.
The Portuguese have also scored in both halves in all three qualifying matches and a repeat is priced at 23/20 with BoyleSports.
This Euro 2024 match between Iceland and Portugal will be played on Jun 20, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Iceland vs Portugal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
