Portugal have dropped to second position in Group A of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers and will be looking to reclaim top spot when they host Luxembourg at the Estadio do Algarve. The Portuguese are unbeaten in the qualifiers and should have too much for Luxembourg who are winless.
Portugal warmed up for Tuesday’s clash with a 3-0 friendly victory over World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar. Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring in the first half while Jose Fonte and Andre Silva added further goals after the break.
Fernando Santos’ men are still unbeaten in the qualifiers, claiming 13 points from a possible 15. They have won four of their five matches and are one point behind group leaders Serbia having played a game less.
Portugal’s good form has seen them win their last four matches across all competitions. They head into Tuesday’s match off the back of a pair of 3-0 victories having seen off Azerbaijan in their previous qualifying fixture.
Luxembourg are coming off a 1-0 home defeat to Serbia last time out in the qualifiers. Despite playing at home, they were second best throughout the encounter and could only muster a single attempt on target.
While that was an improvement on the 4-1 defeat in the reverse fixture in September, that result does little to boost their slim chances of securing a playoff spot. They are seven points behind Portugal having suffered three defeats in their five matches in Group A.
Luc Holtz's men often struggle at the back and have conceded five goals in their last two matches in the qualifiers.
How the bookies view it
Portugal have been installed as overwhelming favourites by the bookies and are priced at 1/14 by Vbet to claim the win. An unlikely victory for Luxembourg is valued at 33/1 by Vbet while a draw is set at odds of 12/1 by Vbet.
Head to head
Portugal have a 14-1 advantage with one draw from 16 previous matches against Luxembourg. They claimed a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture back in March with Diogo Jota and Cristiano Ronaldo among the goals.
Players to watch
Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo Jota have been among the goals for Portugal throughout the qualifiers and will be the ones to watch on Tuesday. Ronaldo is priced at 4/11 by to score anytime by Paddy Power who are also offering 10/11 on Jota in the same market.
Central defenders Jose Fonte and Ruben Dias are also worth keeping an eye on for Portugal, who have kept clean sheets in their last two matches. Both men are can guide the hosts to another clean sheet at 8/15 with betway.
Anything else catch the eye?
Having claimed 3-0 victories in their last two matches, Portugal can be backed in the -3 handicap market at 19/10 with Vbet. Portugal could also be tipped to win both halves at 8/11 with betway.
Given their recent results, Portugal are also likely to win by two or three goals at 23/20 with Vbet.
This World Cup match between Portugal and Luxembourg will be played on Oct 12, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Portugal vs Luxembourg prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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