Portugal vs Finland Prediction: Ronaldo to inspire a big win
Portugal have steadily produced one of the best squads in world football and heading into Euro 2024, they have a genuine chance of winning it, just as they did in 2016. Cristiano Ronaldo may not be at the peak of his powers any more, but Portugal no longer have to rely on solely on him, with a whole host of talented players now at their peaks.
They’ve got three warm-up matches before Euro 2024 gets underway, and the first of those comes on Tuesday night, as they host Finland at Estadio Jose Alvalade (19:45). Below you can find my Portugal vs Finland prediction.
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Ronaldo may be 39 now, but he is expected to start here and win his 207th cap for his country. He’ll be on the hunt for more goals but Roberto Martinez seems to have full trust in his main man. Rafa Leao and Diogo Jota could join him in attack while Manchester United duo Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes should both play after their FA Cup success.
Teemu Pukki is Finland’s talisman and he is still going at the age of 34, and he will hope to add to the 40 international goals he already has to his name. Robin Lod is set to start in midfield, while Bayer Leverkusen’s goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky has had a superb season, and will look to take this into international football.
Portugal are the heavy favourites for this one, priced at 17/100 for the win, while Finland can be backed at 12/1. A draw is available at 28/5, BTTS is 28/25 and over 2.5 goals is 9/20.
Home team win to nil @ 17/20
Portugal are by far the stronger outfit here, and they should be able to get a statement win here. Finland aren’t a good team at this moment in time, they only beat San Marino 2-1 recently, and were beaten 4-1 by Wales. They are going to find it tough here against a side who have so much attacking talent, and I cannot see Finland scoring here.
Martinez has an incredibly strong squad at his disposal and I think this will be a fairly dominant and comfortable win for Portugal. With the likes of Fernandes, Ronaldo, Leao, Diogo Jota and more, Portugal will fancy their chances this summer in Germany, and I believe they will get a statement win on Tuesday night.
Portugal -3.5 handicap @ 29/10
Given it is a friendly and we can expect a multitude of substitutions and changes, I think the value here lies in backing Portugal to win big. I think picking them out to win by four goals is the selection to be made, at odds of 29/10. Portugal recently scored five at home to Sweden, beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 5-0 and Lichtenstein 9-0.
Even if their big stars get taken off early or rotated, there is more than enough talent in this squad to demolish Finland. I don’t think the away side have much to offer and I foresee an onslaught from Martinez’s men. Bernardo Silva, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix and Ruben Dias are all trying to lock down a starting spot for one of the best teams that we will see at Euro 2024. I’ve got very high hopes for this squad.
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