Portugal vs Croatia Prediction: Ronaldo set to inspire a big win
Portugal are arguably going under the radar this summer, and the Euro 20216 winners have a squad to match any other side on the continent. Roberto Martinez has plenty of international experience and although he hasn’t won a tournament yet, he took Belgium to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup.
Now he is looking to lift the Euros for the first time, as Cristiano Ronaldo looks to add another international trophy to his record. Meanwhile Croatia reached the final of the 2018 World Cup and have been threats in Europe for several years now. This should be a cracking warm-up tie, and below you can find my Portugal vs Croatia prediction.
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We are likely to see the best version of Portugal in this game in their penultimate game before the Euros begins. This is the toughest test they will have until they reach the knockout stages and as a result Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and Ruben Dias are all likely to start. Martinez must finalise his preferred front three, with Diogo Jota, Rafa Leao and Joao Felix all in contention to start alongside Ronaldo or Goncalo Ramos.
Croatia rested Marcelo Brozovic, Josko Gvardiol and Nikolo Vlasic in their last win, and I’d expect all three to come into the team here. Zlatko Dalic is a wonderful international manager, but this is an ageing squad, so the young talent will have to step up and be counted this summer.
Portugal are the favourites here, priced at 4/6, while Croatia can be backed at 4/1. A draw is available at 11/4, over 2.5 goals is 10/11 and BTTS is the same price.
Portugal to win and BTTS @ 11/4
I really fancy Portugal’s chances this summer and feel they have been vastly overpriced to win the tournament, given the squad and experienced manager they now have at their disposal. Their attacking depth is remarkable, while they also have a stronger defence than the likes of England.
This should be a cracking warm-up game, as two top nations come face-to-face, and there should be plenty of goals. Portugal scored a boatload of goals in qualifying, scored 15 times in two games against Luxembourg, while they’ve also scored nine goals in their last two home games.
They’ve won both of those games, but also conceded in both of those games which leads me to believe that they will win this game, but concede at least once.
Portugal 4-1 Croatia @ 28/1
Let’s try and nail a correct scoreline here, using the same methodology. Portugal have beaten Sweden and Finland at home recently, by 4-2 and 5-2 scorelines. Up against Croatia, who are known for being defensively solid, I think we could see something similar. Croatia beat Egypt 4-2 in March, and I think if Portugal get after them, they could win big.
Martinez will send his side out to attack Croatia, and I believe an early goal could break the away sides’ spirit. In my eyes, there’s a big gap between these two squads right now, and I believe Portugal will send out a big statement with a win.
Check out our other Soccer Betting Predictions here.
