TURKEY and Portugal both head into their second Euro 2024 game on a high but they were made to sweat before sealing the deal in their Group F openers.
The Portuguese only saw off the Czech Republic thanks to a stoppage-time winner from sub Francisco Conceicao on a night when two bets landed for our man Andy.
That came after the Turks also netted deep into added time to put the seal on their 3-1 victory over debutants Georgia in what was probably the best match of the tournament so far.
Those two results mean a draw tonight would be enough to send both sides into the last 16 but it's hard to imagine either settling for a draw.
Turkey will once more be roared on by an incredible support and this will feel like a home game again. Those fans won't be happy to see their heroes sit back so I'd imagine Vincenzo Montella's men will have a go once more.
Portuguese boss Roberto Martinez always set his teams up to attack and he will be looking for a more complete performance after flirting with disaster in the opener.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Co had to come from behind in the second half to salvage a victory and Martinez will want them to take this game by the scruff of the neck.
How the bookies view it: Portugal's stars give them the edge
Despite a patchy performance in their opener, Portugal are Betfred's 4/7 hot favourites for this one. Turkey look a little overpriced at 9/2 and the draw pays 16/4.
Head to head: Turks out to turn the tide
Portugal have dominated this fixture down the years, winning seven of the nine meetings and losing just twice. These sides last faced off two years ago in the play-off semi-final for World Cup qualification and Portugal won 3-1.
Last five H2H duels:
- 24/03/2022 (World Cup Qualifiers) – Portugal 3-1 Turkey
- 02/06/2012 (International Friendly) – Portugal 1-3 Turkey
- 07/06/2008 (EURO) – Portugal 2-0 Turkey
- 24/06/2000 (EURO) – Turkey 0-2 Portugal
- 14/06/1996 (EURO) – Portugal 1-0 Turkey
Players to watch: Turkish Messi out to shock Ronaldo
Turkish wonderkid Arda Guler announced himself on the international stage with a stunning strike in the win over Georgia that made him the youngest ever player to score on their debut at the Euros. The 19-year-old dubbed the Turkish Messi is 18/5 to grab another goal and upstage Ronaldo, who is more than double his age.
Martinez regularly rotates his forwards and even those who start are often taken off after just an hour or so. So it might be best backing midfielder Bruno Fernandes for a goal and the Manchester United star is 21/10 to score.
Probable line-ups
Ronaldo and fellow golden oldie Pepe played the full game in Portugal's opener and with the quick turnaround in games Martinez might be tempted to give at least one of them a breather. He could also switch around his wide men with Conceicao and Diogo Jota making an impact as subs on Tuesday.
Turkish boss Montella will likely stick with the players who delivered for him against the Georgians.
Turkey: Gunok, Akaydin, Bardakci, Muldur, Kadioglu, Kokcu, Guler, Calhanoglu, Yildiz, Ayhan, Yilmaz.
Portugal: Costa, A Silva, Dias, Mendes, Cancelo, Dalot, Fernandes, Vitinha, Ronaldo, B Silva, Jota.
Anything else catch the eye?
On the evidence of the first two games in the group this should be cracker. The only danger is that Turkey might play more conservatively than they did against Georgia but I'd imagine they will try to have a go again after bringing up a bet for Slips Tips by netting twice in their opener.
Over 2.5 goals is just 4/6 with Betfred for this one but if you combine it with BTTS it boosts the odds to 21/20.
All of the goals came after the break in Portugal's opener so there could be some value in backing most strikes to come in the second period here at evens.
The Portuguese won 13 corners in their opener while Turkey's clash with Georgia produced 10. So it might pay to back over 9.5 corners here at 5/6.
This Euro 2024 match between Turkey and Portugal will be played on Jun 22, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Turkey vs Portugal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
