Portugal expected to bounce back in Luxembourg
Luxembourg vs Portugal - 30/03/2021
3599
We may only be heading into Matchday 3 of the World Cup qualifiers, but Tuesday’s meeting between Luxembourg and Portugal already feels like an important one.
On the one hand, Luxembourg head into Tuesday’s clash on the back of a shock win over the Republic of Ireland.
On the other hand, Portugal were held to a surprise draw by Serbia on Saturday, meaning they have taken four points from a possible six so far.
Luxembourg headed into their opening game of the campaign on a four-match winless run, having recorded one draw and three defeats.
But despite seeing just 37% possession on Saturday, Luxembourg were able to seal a rare victory over Ireland.
After facing 11 attempts from the Irish, Gerson Rodrigues scored the winner for Luxembourg on 85 minutes.
Interestingly, each of Luxembourg’s previous three games in all competitions have produced under 1.5 goals.
With one win, one draw and one loss coming in that time, it’s fair to say that Luxembourg have been pretty inconsistent of late.
After edging past Azerbaijan 1-0 on Matchday 1, Portugal appeared to be heading for two straight wins on Saturday.
However, Crisitano Ronaldo had a goal denied late on, despite the ball appearing to have crossed the line.
A first-half brace from Diogo Jota saw Portugal head into the break with a healthy lead, yet Serbia managed to score twice in the second half and snatch a 2-2 draw.
Looking at the bigger picture, Portugal have only lost one of their previous 12 matches in all competitions.
Portugal have also scored over 1.5 goals in four of their last seven outings, with three clean sheets coming during that period.
Head-to-head: Portugal and Luxembourg have faced each other 17 times over the years, although Luxembourg have only managed to win once – and that was back in 1961.
Overall, Portugal have beaten Luxembourg 15 times. The two sides met in Euro qualifying in 2019, with Portugal winning 3-0 at home and 2-0 away.
In their previous four meetings, Portugal have scored a combined total of ten goals without conceding in reply.
Team news: Luxembourg are likely to stick with the same starting XI that did so well against Ireland on Saturday.
On the flip side, Portugal could make some changes after being held to a disappointing draw by Serbia at the weekend.
Luxembourg may have clinched a shock victory last time out, but Portugal’s superiority should shine through on Tuesday.
Forebet predicts that Portugal will prevent Luxembourg from scoring, while the away side are expected to score over 2.5 goals on their way to victory.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
WCQ
212851
2
0 - 3
2.69
12°
1.12
30.00
10.00
1.12
1
1
-1
1 - 3(1 - 1)
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