Betting odds Portugal

Manager: Carlos Queiroz
Captain: Cristiano Ronaldo
FIFA World Ranking: 3
World Cup appearances: 5
Best World Cup: Third Place; 1966

Portugal Team Profile

The Portuguese have been one of the frontrunners in recent competitions over the past decade or so but only just about made it through to this summers show-piece after a dreadful qualifying campaign which seen them come within a point of not making the finals. Portugal, despite boasting some very talented individuals, none more so than one Cristiano Ronaldo, struggled throughout and only made it through to the play-off’s after a strong finish to the campaign which seen them win their remaining three qualifiers. However, even then they still had a lot of work to do as they were drawn against a tricky Bosnia & Herzegovina. Portugal did eventually book their spot in the finals with a 2-0 aggregate win, winning 1-0 in both legs, but they still weren’t convincing.

Portugal’s far from flawless qualifying campaign has led to Bookies pricing the Portuguese up as one of the outsiders and are currently available at around the 30/1 mark. They look a dream outside bet if truth be told as, at the end of the day, Carlos Queiroz does have the former World Player of the Year at his beckon call in Ronaldo. However, they will need their star player and captain to shine in South Africa if they want to better their previous effort in a World Cup when they finished the 2006 finals in Fourth Place.

We must also mention that this will be their third successive appearance in a World Cup after previously managing just one appearance in an almost baron 28 year spell.

Portugal Key Players

Cristiano Ronaldo

Sometimes known as the ‘whiner’ during his time in the English Premier League, but now referred to as one of the greats of the modern era, Cristiano Ronaldo will carry the hopes of nation into South Africa as he looks to carry one of the weakest Portugal squads for some time to World Cup glory in South Africa 2010.

Ronaldo, who last summer was bought for staggering £80Mil from Manchester United, is know the most expensive player in the world and to have ever lived, and doesn’t he just know it. His ego is about the size of his lavish price tag, which is rumoured to be around the Billion mark, and it’s sometimes his ego which gets him into trouble. For all Ronaldo’s silky skills and superior technical ability, he does have a temper and has been known to lash out when matters on the pitch aren’t going his way. Considering this Portugal side can frustrate even the calmest of players, Ronaldo could become hot under the collar in South Africa if he’s left to carry the slack.

Nevertheless a great player, and a prolific goalscorer. He hasn’t always carried his club form into his international games but he’s still an immensely talented player, one which every opponent will fear. Ronaldo will be the main creator and main goal taker in South Africa, aiming to take the phrase ‘Captain Fantastic’ to a whole new level.

Liedson

The guy is 32 years-old and yet he is the likely choice for Queiroz up front as Portugal’s attacking options are extremely limited. The Sporting Lisbon front man is more than equipped to play the solitary role up front but has only recently been introduced into the Portugal side and has but a few caps to his name. However, the age factor shouldn’t be too much of an issue as Portugal are renowned for their veteran strikers, with Pauleta & Nuno Gomes just two of their more recent 30+ strikers that have led the line for them in recent World Cups. The pressure on him to score Portugal’s goals will be enormous as Portugal did struggle for regular goals during qualifying and often had to rely on their Midfielders chipping in.

Strengths

Their strength is undoubtedly their biggest asset – Cristiano Ronaldo. The man has the potential and sometimes the audacity to win any game single handily, and with Portugal not at their strongest, especially in attack, he may well have to carry this Portugal side to success in South Africa. However, Ronaldo has struggled with a few injuries during the course of the season and that will be a concern ahead of the finals in what will be some tough and gruelling encounters for Portugal. If Ronaldo is fit then Portugal will be a threat against any nation. If he isn’t, however, then Portugal simply aren’t the same side.

Weaknesses

The big concern all around Portugal is their lack of fire-power and this factor was certainly evident during qualifying, as a usually potent and exciting Portugal lost their spark. To be fair their group wasn’t the easiest, consisting of Sweden, Hungary and Denmark, but even so, Portugal would have fancied their chances of making South Africa fairly comfortably but that was far from the case as they scraped through qualifying by the skin of their teeth, needing a play-off with Bosnia to seal their berth.

The reason as to why Portugal struggled? Well, everyone pinned the blame on the forward and the lack of talent coming through the Portuguese ranks. It got so bad that Carlos Queiroz had to seek inspiration from a player who had never even been capped for his country before, Sporting Lisbon’s Liedson. However, we mustn’t forget to mention that Liedson is Brazilian born and had to wait six years for a Portugal citizenship, but Liedson had always expressed a desire to play for Portugal and he repaid the faith with some big goals scoring 3 times in the 7 qualifiers he played. Liedson is set to be the oldest forward in the Portugal camp, although he could very well end up as the only recognised forward as well, as looking back down the ranks only Hugo Almeida stands out and even then he’s not proven his worth for Portugal, so scary times for the Portuguese in front of goal, so much so that the burden looks likely to fall upon Mr. Portugal once again, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: European
Group: 1
Position: 2nd
Win-Draw-Lose: 5-4-1
Goals Scored: 17
Goals Conceded: 5

Despite boasting a tidy defensive record during qualification, Portugal lacked that cutting edge in the final and it nearly came back to haunt them. They started poorly but a strong finish enabled them to grab hold of a lifeline in the form of a two-legged play-off with Bosnia. The Portuguese kept their hopes alive of winning their first ever World Cup by beating Bosnia 2-0 on aggregate.

World Cup Potential: 3/5

Portugal head into South Africa with one of the weakest teams they’ve ever produced, so fans back home will have been frustrated to see their side drawn in the ‘Group of Death’ alongside the Ivory Coast and Brazil. However, while their squad may not be the strongest, they still have one of the World’s best players in Cristiano Ronaldo and an ons-song Ronaldo will be a match for any team.

The Portuguese, because of the difficulty of their group, are a big price to South’s Africa show-piece, and while we don’t see them going all the way, simply because we reckon they will find one too good at some stage, they remain a stunningly attractive EW proposition. The gamble, of course, is whether they bypass a tough group. If they do, their price will plummet so it could be a gamble well worthwhile, as one their day Portugal can be a match for anyone so long as Ronaldo is fully fit and on top of his game.

Portugal World Cup Betting Odds:

Portugal to win the World Cup: 30/1 Bet365

Before the World Cup the odds on Portugal were 28/1 

Official Portugal World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Eduardo (Sporting Braga)

Daniel Fernandes (Iraklis Saloniki)

Beto (Porto)

Defenders

Miguel (Valencia)

Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea)

Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)

Bruno Alves (Porto)

Rolando (Porto)

Ricardo Costa (Lille)

Duda (Malaga)

Fabio Coentrão (Benfica Lisbon)

Pepe (Real Madrid)

Midfielders

Pedro Mendes (Sporting Lisbon)

Danny (Zenit St. Petersburg)

Tiago (Atletico Madrid)

Deco (Chelsea)

Raul Meireles (Porto)

Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon)

Amorim (SL Benfica)

Strikers

Simão Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid)

Liedson (Sporting Lisbon)

Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Portugal Fixtures – Group G

29/06 – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: Portugal – Spain: 0-1

World Cup 2010 Group G - Table

 World Cup Fixtures and Results

Portugal

Portugal will again look to star player Cristiano Ronaldo to lift them out of their perceived troubles. Ronaldo himself though will have to watch his step, after he picked up a yellow card in a case of mistaken identity against the Ivory Coast, which an appeal failed to overturn. One more yellow for him and he would miss their third and final match of the group against Brazil. Well, first things first, and Portugal need to show much more craft and guile than they did when they played out one of dullest draws of the first round of group fixtures. They tied with the Ivory Coast 0-0, with neither side looking like they were really interested in pressing forward and taking the game by the horns. In such a vital match, where victory would have given either side a huge advantage in the group, neither wanted to go for it. A predictable goal less draw ensued, with very little in the way of goal mouth action. One thing which stood out about Portugal, is that they lacked a spark of inspiration, and their negative play even rubbed off on Cristiano Ronaldo, who faded from the game fairly quickly. He created the most exciting moment of the match when he crashed a wicked long range shot against the wood work.

Portugal had tough times at the start of European qualification, lacking goals and leaking them at the back. However, they turned that around, picking up some good results in the end, without ever looking too impressive or free flowing. They did show a lot of grit and determination though, qualities which many thought they would lack as they fought back to finish second in their group. Again they will need to show some of that fighting quality, especially if the Ivory Coast manage to get anything out of Brazil in their Group F match. The lack of creativity and poor final balls, will be worrying coach Carlos Queiroz as he will have seen how stubborn North Korea were against Brazil. Even though they have Ronaldo, Portugal look as if they are lacking true world class up front, and surprisingly Simao was left on the bench in favour of Dani, who failed to make any kind of impact. The situation is clear for Portugal. They need to win, and they also need to fire some goals in against North Korea, as this is the one group where goal difference could be a very thin line between reaching the second round or not.

Portugal World Cup Betting. The Europeans do not look as if they have that many goals in them. They will need to show the same patience that Brazil did against the disciplined North Koreans and keep plugging away. When things weren’t going right for them against the Ivory Coast however, they sort of lost their shape and their way, and faded away from the game. They cannot afford to do that if they want to get through, and in a World Cup of upsets, is there just a hint of one here? A draw would be a remarkable result for North Korea, but you have to fancy Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo just to battle through and edge this one. Winning is the priority, even though a hatful of goals would serve them well. Back them to win, as that is their priority, and Ronaldo as anytime scorer is always worth a punt.

Portugal World Cup 2010 Stats
Played: P1, W0, D1, L0
GF/GA: 0/0
Cards: Y1, R0
Most Shots: Cristiano Ronaldo, 3
Top Scorer: N/A
Shots/On Goal: 7/2
Fouls Committed: 13
Total Passes: 543
Pass Completion: 79%

North Korea

North Korea were one of the nice surprises of the first round of group matches at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in a surprising way. You could physically see how much respect that Brazil were paying them before, during and after the match, and the incredibly disciplined Asians stood up to the mighty South Americans very well for periods of the game. They were never threatening to win the game or anything, but they sure made Brazil work for the win. Brazil have a better work ethic than Portugal, so if the North Koreans can push Portugal deep into the second half at 0-0, then we will see the Portuguese getting very edgy and nervy. Quite how North Korea stuck to their game plan, formation and tactics against Brazil, and bagged themselves a consolation goal in the process, was a mystery, but actually a joy to watch. They really contributed to the game and the atmosphere through dare we say, almost military like precision and discipline.

North Korea World Cup Betting. They won’t be expected to get anything out of any of their group matches to be honest, but if they turn out another impressive defensive performance, then they will again be able to hold their heads high. Big underdogs, but they could frustrate and cause Portugal head aches for long periods of the match. Due to Portugal’s lack of impetus up front, bookmaker odds are actually being quite generous to the Asian nation.

North Korea World Cup 2010 Stats
Played: P1, W0, D0, L1
GF/GA: 1/2
Cards: Y0, R0
Most Shots: Jong Tae Se, 4
Top Scorer: Ji Yun Nam, 1
Shots/On Goal: 11/3
Fouls Committed: 10
Total Passes: 362
Pass Completion: 66%

Portugal v North Korean Betting Odds

Portugal to win: 4/11 at Bet365
Draw: 4/1 at BetFred
Korea DPR: 10/1 at SkyBet

Asian Handicap Betting Tip: Thought you would see North Korea take a price of 7/5 (with Paddy Power) into a match against Portugal? Well, that’s what you can get, and no doubt punters will jump on that, just for the sheer enjoyment of seeing North Korea hold out for a draw. You can even stretch the above handicap out a little more and still find pretty decent value. This is backing the Koreans to hold out to lose by no more than one, but you’ll lose only half your stake if they lose by two.
North Korea +1.75 for 10/11 at Victor Chandler
 

Portugal V North Korea Odds:

Manager: Carlos Queiroz
Captain: Cristiano Ronaldo
FIFA World Ranking: 3
World Cup appearances: 5
Best World Cup: Third Place; 1966

Portugal Team Profile

The Portuguese have been one of the frontrunners in recent competitions over the past decade or so but only just about made it through to this summers show-piece after a dreadful qualifying campaign which seen them come within a point of not making the finals. Portugal, despite boasting some very talented individuals, none more so than one Cristiano Ronaldo, struggled throughout and only made it through to the play-off’s after a strong finish to the campaign which seen them win their remaining three qualifiers. However, even then they still had a lot of work to do as they were drawn against a tricky Bosnia & Herzegovina. Portugal did eventually book their spot in the finals with a 2-0 aggregate win, winning 1-0 in both legs, but they still weren’t convincing.

Portugal’s far from flawless qualifying campaign has led to Bookies pricing the Portuguese up as one of the outsiders and are currently available at around the 30/1 mark. They look a dream outside bet if truth be told as, at the end of the day, Carlos Queiroz does have the former World Player of the Year at his beckon call in Ronaldo. However, they will need their star player and captain to shine in South Africa if they want to better their previous effort in a World Cup when they finished the 2006 finals in Fourth Place.

We must also mention that this will be their third successive appearance in a World Cup after previously managing just one appearance in an almost baron 28 year spell.

Portugal Key Players

Cristiano Ronaldo

Sometimes known as the ‘whiner’ during his time in the English Premier League, but now referred to as one of the greats of the modern era, Cristiano Ronaldo will carry the hopes of nation into South Africa as he looks to carry one of the weakest Portugal squads for some time to World Cup glory in South Africa 2010.

Ronaldo, who last summer was bought for staggering £80Mil from Manchester United, is know the most expensive player in the world and to have ever lived, and doesn’t he just know it. His ego is about the size of his lavish price tag, which is rumoured to be around the Billion mark, and it’s sometimes his ego which gets him into trouble. For all Ronaldo’s silky skills and superior technical ability, he does have a temper and has been known to lash out when matters on the pitch aren’t going his way. Considering this Portugal side can frustrate even the calmest of players, Ronaldo could become hot under the collar in South Africa if he’s left to carry the slack.

Nevertheless a great player, and a prolific goalscorer. He hasn’t always carried his club form into his international games but he’s still an immensely talented player, one which every opponent will fear. Ronaldo will be the main creator and main goal taker in South Africa, aiming to take the phrase ‘Captain Fantastic’ to a whole new level.

Liedson

The guy is 32 years-old and yet he is the likely choice for Queiroz up front as Portugal’s attacking options are extremely limited. The Sporting Lisbon front man is more than equipped to play the solitary role up front but has only recently been introduced into the Portugal side and has but a few caps to his name. However, the age factor shouldn’t be too much of an issue as Portugal are renowned for their veteran strikers, with Pauleta & Nuno Gomes just two of their more recent 30+ strikers that have led the line for them in recent World Cups. The pressure on him to score Portugal’s goals will be enormous as Portugal did struggle for regular goals during qualifying and often had to rely on their Midfielders chipping in.

Strengths

Their strength is undoubtedly their biggest asset – Cristiano Ronaldo. The man has the potential and sometimes the audacity to win any game single handily, and with Portugal not at their strongest, especially in attack, he may well have to carry this Portugal side to success in South Africa. However, Ronaldo has struggled with a few injuries during the course of the season and that will be a concern ahead of the finals in what will be some tough and gruelling encounters for Portugal. If Ronaldo is fit then Portugal will be a threat against any nation. If he isn’t, however, then Portugal simply aren’t the same side.

Weaknesses

The big concern all around Portugal is their lack of fire-power and this factor was certainly evident during qualifying, as a usually potent and exciting Portugal lost their spark. To be fair their group wasn’t the easiest, consisting of Sweden, Hungary and Denmark, but even so, Portugal would have fancied their chances of making South Africa fairly comfortably but that was far from the case as they scraped through qualifying by the skin of their teeth, needing a play-off with Bosnia to seal their berth.

The reason as to why Portugal struggled? Well, everyone pinned the blame on the forward and the lack of talent coming through the Portuguese ranks. It got so bad that Carlos Queiroz had to seek inspiration from a player who had never even been capped for his country before, Sporting Lisbon’s Liedson. However, we mustn’t forget to mention that Liedson is Brazilian born and had to wait six years for a Portugal citizenship, but Liedson had always expressed a desire to play for Portugal and he repaid the faith with some big goals scoring 3 times in the 7 qualifiers he played. Liedson is set to be the oldest forward in the Portugal camp, although he could very well end up as the only recognised forward as well, as looking back down the ranks only Hugo Almeida stands out and even then he’s not proven his worth for Portugal, so scary times for the Portuguese in front of goal, so much so that the burden looks likely to fall upon Mr. Portugal once again, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal Qualification for the World Cup

Sector: European
Group: 1
Position: 2nd
Win-Draw-Lose: 5-4-1
Goals Scored: 17
Goals Conceded: 5

Despite boasting a tidy defensive record during qualification, Portugal lacked that cutting edge in the final and it nearly came back to haunt them. They started poorly but a strong finish enabled them to grab hold of a lifeline in the form of a two-legged play-off with Bosnia. The Portuguese kept their hopes alive of winning their first ever World Cup by beating Bosnia 2-0 on aggregate.

World Cup Potential: 3/5

Portugal head into South Africa with one of the weakest teams they’ve ever produced, so fans back home will have been frustrated to see their side drawn in the ‘Group of Death’ alongside the Ivory Coast and Brazil. However, while their squad may not be the strongest, they still have one of the World’s best players in Cristiano Ronaldo and an ons-song Ronaldo will be a match for any team.

The Portuguese, because of the difficulty of their group, are a big price to South’s Africa show-piece, and while we don’t see them going all the way, simply because we reckon they will find one too good at some stage, they remain a stunningly attractive EW proposition. The gamble, of course, is whether they bypass a tough group. If they do, their price will plummet so it could be a gamble well worthwhile, as one their day Portugal can be a match for anyone so long as Ronaldo is fully fit and on top of his game.

Portugal World Cup Betting Odds:

Portugal to win the World Cup: 30/1 Bet365

Before the World Cup the odds on Portugal were 28/1 

Official Portugal World Cup Squad

Goalkeepers

Eduardo (Sporting Braga)

Daniel Fernandes (Iraklis Saloniki)

Beto (Porto)

Defenders

Miguel (Valencia)

Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea)

Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea)

Bruno Alves (Porto)

Rolando (Porto)

Ricardo Costa (Lille)

Duda (Malaga)

Fabio Coentrão (Benfica Lisbon)

Pepe (Real Madrid)

Midfielders

Pedro Mendes (Sporting Lisbon)

Danny (Zenit St. Petersburg)

Tiago (Atletico Madrid)

Deco (Chelsea)

Raul Meireles (Porto)

Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon)

Amorim (SL Benfica)

Strikers

Simão Sabrosa (Atletico Madrid)

Liedson (Sporting Lisbon)

Hugo Almeida (Werder Bremen)

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

last update: 18 June 2010

World Cup 2010 Portugal Fixtures – Group G

29/06 – 19.30 – Round of the last 16: Portugal – Spain: 0-1

World Cup Group G - Table

 World Cup Fixtures and Results

World Cup Group of Portugal