The scandal surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure has been all over the front pages in recent days, but Portugal certainly do not look any weaker without their legendary striker. Will they manage to end the international break with a perfect record, or will Norway take their revenge for last week’s defeat?
The events of recent days and Ronaldo’s departure should not distract from the fact that Portugal are playing some brilliant football at the moment.
Whether they’ll be better or worse off without him remains to be seen in the long term, but in their last two matches their effectiveness in the final third has been far higher than usual.
Whilst there was room for improvement at the World Cup, they’ve looked very strong since the start of the Nations League. With Norway, it’s exactly the opposite – a historic performance at the World Cup and poor form since the start of this competition.
Losing to Portugal is understandable, but the defeat to Wales came as a complete shock. They indeed received a red card immediately after the start of the second half, but even with a man down, Norway still had more chances, which they failed to convert.
The battle for second place in the group will go down to the wire, with Norway remaining favourites ahead of Denmark and Wales. But another defeat here will make their task far more difficult, especially if there is a winner in the other clash.
How the bookies view it: This time, everything looks set in Portugal’s favour
Portugal were underdogs in the match a week ago, but that didn’t stop them from putting in a phenomenal performance. Now, ahead of the return leg in Porto, they are clear favourites, which is entirely logical given the recent result and their home form.
At the moment, you can back Portugal at 13/20, a draw at 16/5, or Norway at a substantial 4/1.
Recent head-to-head: Four wins in five for the hosts
With last week’s victory, the head-to-head record between the two nations has become even more lopsided in Portugal’s favour, as they have still suffered just one defeat in a total of 12 H2Hs against Norway.
This may not be all that significant, given how long ago most of those matches were played, but Portugal have nevertheless won four of their last five.
Players to watch: Joao Felix is on a spree
With Ronaldo’s departure (whether temporary or permanent), the focus is on the talented young players in the national team, who have often been overlooked in the past.
Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos have so far exceeded fans’ expectations, and I expect them to be at the heart of Portugal’s goalscoring once again. Felix, in particular, scored a goal in each of the three matches so far.
Probable line-ups
Portugal: Costa, Mendes, Veiga, Dias, Cancelo, Vitinha, Neves, Felix, Fernandes, Neto, Ramos
Norway: Selvik, Aursnes, Ajer, Ostigard, Wolfe, Berg, Berge, Odegaard, Schjelderup, Nusa, Haaland
Anything else catch the eye?
The match in Oslo could certainly have ended differently had Norway capitalised on their chances. Portugal, however, put on a tactical masterclass and came out on top.
In Porto, though, I expect the hosts to be the far more determined side right from the start and to come out on top once again. It’s difficult to bet against goals given the scoring form of both teams, so I’ll be going for both BTTS and Over 2.5 goals.
But after the first match, it’s hard not to expect cards as well, because that game was an absolute war. We saw nine yellow cards, and right now, Betano are offering 17/20 for 2+ cards for each team.
Alternatively, Over 3.5 cards in the match is priced very low, but it’s a good option for accumulators or a bet builder.
Portugal vs Norway Betting Tips & Predictions
Further Reading
- Wales vs Denmark Prediction and Betting Tips – 2026-10-04
- Spain vs Czech Republic Prediction and Betting Tips – 2026-10-03
- Croatia vs England Prediction and Betting Tips – 2026-10-03
- France vs Italy Prediction and Betting Tips – 2026-10-02
- Ukraine vs Northern Ireland Prediction and Betting Tips – 2026-10-02
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