Portugal will return to the Estádio da Luz only days after seeing off Croatia at the venue. This time, they come across Steve Clarke’s Scotland. The Seleção das Quinas have lost two of their last four matches there, but their impressive victory against the Checkered Ones should give them renewed optimism ahead of this clash. Our Portugal vs Scotland predictions, therefore, mostly favor the home team.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | UEFA Nations League 2024-25, League A, Group A1, Matchday 2 |
| ⚽️ Venue: | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal |
| 🗓️ Date: | 8 September 2024 |
| ⏰ Time: | 18:45 GMT on Sunday |
The top football online betting sites have published their latest odds for the Portugal vs Scotland match. Before revealing our Portugal vs Scotland predictions, let’s have a look at the current bookmaker offerings:
Legal bookies in Portugal are highly confident of another win for the 2019 UNL champions. Portugal did not lose to the Tartan Army since their 4-1 demolition at the 1980 UEFA European Championship. The two teams have met six times since then, with Portugal winning on four occasions.
| Standings | Group A1 Teams | Matches Played | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Poland | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Portugal | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Croatia | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Scotland | 1 | 0 |
The first two national teams will directly go to the quarterfinals of the 2024-25 Nations League Finals. The third-finished team will clash in the divisional playoffs against a team from the second division, while the fourth participant is directly eliminated to the lower division.
The first round approved that this group is pretty leveled, as both matches ended in a one-goal difference. The second round can clearly draw the favorites and outsiders.
Having further cemented his legacy with a 900th goal earlier this week, Cristiano Ronaldo will return as the focal point of the Portugal attack once again. Diego Jota, who made a brief cameo on Thursday, could be given a full start.
Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who reportedly drew significant interest from Premier League outfits, will continue to start for Portugal. Manager Roberto Martinez could also field several new faces, including Joao Neves from PSG and Pedro Goncalves from Sporting Lisbon.
Torino striker Che Adams has caused a stir by requesting to withdraw from the Scotland squad for their opening UEFA Nations League matches. Therefore, Adams, who wants to concentrate on adapting to the Serie A environment, will not be a part of the proceedings on Sunday night. Celtic duo James Forrest and Greg Taylor will also miss the clash due to injuries.
Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmore, who made surprising moves to Napoli this summer, are set to start for Scotland. Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland, who came on as a substitute against Poland, might see his name on the starting XI.
After a close scrutiny of the odds offered by bookies in Scotland and relevant stats, we have finalized these Portugal vs Scotland betting picks:
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Portugal vs Scotland odds heavily favor a home side victory, but there is better value to be had at handicap betting. The Seleção’s attacking firepower, with the likes of Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leao, and Pedro Neto, is among the best in Europe. Against a Scotland defense that has conceded 12 goals in their last five matches, Portugal should comfortably win by at least two goals.
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While their defense has been incredibly leaky, Scotland has found some success at the opposite end of the pitch recently. They have managed to find the back of the net in four of their last five matches. Interestingly, Portugal have managed to do so only twice in their last five outings. So, we think Scotland will be able to get a consolation or goal or two in Lisbon.
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After a barren Euro 2024 campaign, Cristiano Ronaldo appears to have rediscovered his scoring boots. He has scored four goals in four matches for Al Nassr this season and also hit the target against Croatia. The 39-year-old should find more scoring opportunities against a more fragile Scotland defense, so we expect him to score at least twice.
Scotland face an uphill battle against a side they have not tasted victory in four decades over Portugal. It should be an easy win for Ronaldo and the company unless they fall victim to a major upset this weekend.
