Portugal vs Switzerland Prediction
Portugal will face Switzerland in the last match of the Round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup. The game will kick off on December 6 at the Lusail Iconic Stadium. Portugal won Group H by a margin, while the Swiss were equal on points with Brazil but lost on goal difference. Either Morocco or Spain will await the winner of this pairing in the quarter-finals.
This World Cup is Portugal's eighth, and it will be their fifth play-offs appearance. Switzerland have a longer history of playing in the World Cup: 12 tournaments, 7 play-offs (it is their third consecutive play-off).
The Portugal vs Switzerland betting odds show a clear advantage on the side of Cristiano Ronaldo and company: 1.90 (9/10) for Portugal to win, 3.50 (5/2) for a draw, and 4.50 (7/2) for Switzerland to win. Let's take a look at the teams' performance in the tournament and give the Portugal vs Switzerland betting tips.
Portugal Latest News
The Portuguese won their group at the World Cup for the first time since 2006. Not the toughest of draws and the good form of all the key players - Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes, João Cancelo and others - helped. Having solved the problem of reaching the play-offs after two rounds, the head coach Fernando Santos rotated the line-up for the match against South Korea. Several reserve players were given playing time at the World Cup. That, and perhaps also the fact that the motivation of their opponents was too high, was the reason why the Portuguese lost 1-2.
Cristiano Ronaldo is in the spotlight of the tournament, as this is his last chance to become world champion. One of the best players in football history is Portugal's greatest weapon and main weakness. Any minor scandal involving Ronaldo is widely discussed in the press and can affect the microclimate in the team.
It is also worth mentioning the eternal confrontation between Ronaldo and Argentina's Lionel Messi. Portugal and Argentina are in different halves of the draw, so a game between them can only take place in the final or in the match for the third place.
Key points Portugal
- Shadow favourites of the tournament
- A heavy reliance on Cristiano Ronaldo
- Reached the Round of 16 for the fourth time in the last five tournaments
Switzerland Latest News
Murat Yakin's team had prepared very well for the 2022 World Cup and in the group stage lost points only against the tournament's favourite Brazil (0-1). At the same time, the Brazilians were unable to crack the Swiss defence for more than 80 minutes. Yakin's players forced the rival to heavily attack at the end of the game. Before that, the goalkeeper Yann Sommer and defender Manuel Akanji managed to repel all the rivals' attacks. In their third-round game against Serbia (3-2), the Swiss showed that they can attack, with two of their three goals coming from clever combinations. The game against Serbia also showed how Murat Yakin's team can hold their composure: after losing 1-2, Switzerland came back into the game within less than 10 minutes and quickly turned the match in their favour.
In the last match, Xherdan Shaqiri, one of the team leaders, returned to the starting line-up. He opened the scoring against Serbia and became the third player to score in the last three World Cups. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had previously done so.
Key points Switzerland
- Strong defence
- Team leader, Xherdan Shaqiri, is back in the line-up after the injury
- Never got through the Round of 16 of the World Cup in the 21st century
Betting tips Portugal vs Switzerland
The bookmakers give a big advantage to Portugal. The status of the tournament's shadow favourites and a star-studded line-up led by five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo oblige them to play for victory in every match. But the opponents do not look like easy prey. Switzerland beat France in the last year's European Championship, and then lost to Spain only on penalties. At the 2022 World Cup, the team demonstrated their ability to neutralise the most serious opponents, as well as to play their own complex combinations.
Moving on to our Portugal vs Switzerland tips, it should be noted that the favourites have scored only one goal in the first half at this tournament. We cannot expect the Swiss team to attack hard at the beginning of the game either. The price for mistakes increases a lot in the play-offs, so we expect the first half to be a game of exploration. Our Portugal vs Switzerland prediction is Under 1 goals in the first half. The Portugal vs Switzerland odds for this market are around 1.70 (7/10). The fans of thrillers and risky betting can try to bet on the Over 1 goals in the second half. Currently, the odds for this option are 2.15 (23/20).