Portugal 2020 UEFA Euro Betting
After years of coming up short, Portugal finally broke through for its first major international tournament win in 2016. The Selecao won the 2016 Euros in improbable fashion, overcoming a poor performance in the Group Stage with strong play in the knockout rounds. They had made it to the semifinals three times in the previous four tournaments, so it was a relief for the Portuguese to finally win. It will be difficult for Portugal to repeat though as they have been placed in a group with France and Germany.
Portugal Squad Profile
UEFA Euro Odds: +800
Coach: Fernando Santos
FIFA Ranking: 5
Best Finish: Champions (2016)
Group: D ( France, Germany and Hungary)
How They Got Here
It wasn’t an easy qualification for Portugal. The Portuguese finished behind Ukraine in their group after a 2-1 loss in Kyiv. Portugal went 5-2-1 with home draws against Ukraine and Serbia in addition to the one loss, and they needed to beat Serbia in Belgrade to ensure themselves of an automatic spot. However, they became the first team to win the UEFA Nations League in 2019, so you can’t count out the Portuguese.
Team Preview
Portugal boasts one of the game’s greatest players in Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo is already the greatest player in Portuguese history with a record 173 caps and 103 goals, and he is still playing at a high level despite being 36 years old. He has done it all in his career, and he is continuing to thrive at Juventus after a decade of dominance at Real Madrid. This is likely Ronaldo’s last Euros.
This will likely be the last Euros for Joao Moutinho too. Moutinho has been a constant presence in the midfield for over a decade with 130 caps. He has been a fixture for Porto, Monaco, and Wolves over the last decade in his professional career, and his leadership is huge. Defender Pepe is certainly taking part in his last Euros too with 113 caps at the age of 38.
The national team is in good shape with its youth though. There are several talented midfielders and forwards playing at a high level at top clubs throughout the world. Andre Silva is thriving at Eintracht Frankfurt, and Joao Felix recently signed with Atletico Madrid for a huge transfer fee. Diogo Jota, Renato Sanches, and Goncalo Guedes are likely to feature at some point, and there are more experienced players to help bridge the gap in William Carvalho and Andre Gomes. Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva are fundamental pieces of the midfield too.
As always, there are concerns with the back line. Pepe is the only very experienced option. Nelson Semedo, Luis Neto, and Joao Cancelo might feature, but Ruben Dias and Cedric Soares could see some time too. There’s no concern with the goalkeeper though as Rui Patricio is superb.
Portugal Schedule
GROUP STAGE
Tuesday June 15
Hungary vs. Portugal (Budapest; noon ET, 6 p.m.)
Saturday June 19
Portugal vs. Germany (Munich; noon ET, 6 p.m.)
Wednesday June 23
Portugal vs. France (Budapest; 3 p.m. ET, 9 p.m.)
Portugal’s History at the European Championships
We have seen Portugal at least make it to the quarterfinals in all seven of their trips to the Euros. They made it to the semifinals in their debut at the 1984 Euros, and they were one of the favorites with Luis Figo and Deco in the early 2000s. After an unbeaten Group Stage and an easy win over Turkey in the quarterfinals at the 2000 Euros, they fell to eventual champions France by means of a golden goal.
Their disappointment was even more profound at the 2004 Euros though. Portugal hosted the competition and looked set to finally win here with a young Ronaldo. They overcame an early loss to Greece in the Group Stage to beat Spain and Russia, and then the Selecao knocked off England and the Netherlands in the knockout rounds to earn an unlikely rematch with Greece in the finals. Portugal was unable to find the back of the net though, leading to a 1-0 win for Greece and the most unlikely Euro win ever.
The 2012 Euros were a disappointment for Portugal as they lost to Spain in penalties in the semifinals, but they finally scored a win after a poor showing in the group stage at the 2016 Euros. Portugal benefited from the luck of the draw in the knockout rounds, needing to beat Croatia, Poland, and Wales before taking on France in the final.
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