England vs Portugal Betting Preview

Kick off: Thursday, June 2, 7:45 PM GMT

Venue: Wembley Stadium (London)

Head to Head Record

England vs Portugal 0-0 (2006 World Cup)
Portugal vs England 2-2 (Euro 2004)
Portugal vs England 1-1 (2004 Friendly International)
England vs Portugal 1-1 (2002 Friendly International)
Portugal vs England 3-2 (Euro 2000)

England vs Portugal prediction

Wembley Stadium will host Thursday’s game between two old rivals England and Portugal. The Three Lions aim to build on back-to-back wins over the likes of Turkey and Australia, but beating A Selecao, who head into the game following a 3-0 win over Norway, is easier said than done.

Fine form

England impressed in the Euro 2016 qualifiers and they certainly have big ambitions for the upcoming tournament in France. Roy Hodgson has a number of top-class players to choose from, but he had to whittle his squad down to 23 on Tuesday. Manchester United rising star Marcus Rashford made the final roster, but Danny Drinkwater, who had a very successful season with Premier League champions Leicester City last season, misses out. Anyhow, the Three Lions are brimming with confidence ahead of the visit of Portugal and they will be looking to extend their winning run to three matches following back-to-back victories over Turkey and Australia. Wayne Rooney scored a wonder goal in the 2-1 win over the Socceroos and he is widely expected to return to the starting line-up. England kick off their Euro 2016 campaign with a match against Russia on 11 June and it remains to be seen if they are capable of beating Portugal in their final warm-up game.

Both Ryan Bertrand and Daniel Sturridge are rated doubtful, whilst aforementioned midfielder Danny Drinkwater has been discarded from the provisional squad. Fabian Delph and Andros Townsend are missing out as well. Jamie Vardy is pushing for a start.

Ronaldo-less Selecao

Portugal head into Thursday’s friendly against England following a routine 3-0 win over Norway and it has to be noted that Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo missed the match due to club commitments. As reports in Portugal suggest, CR7 will be rested against England and it is no surprise A Selecao are regarded as underdogs in Thursday’s friendly. In Ronaldo’s absence one of the men to watch in the away team will be Ricardo Quaresma, who scored a brilliant goal in the 3-0 win over Norway. Swansea City attacker Eder is widely expected to lead the line for the visitors against the Three Lions. Portugal enjoy playing against England and the fact that they are undefeated in previous five meetings with Roy Hodgson’s team is giving them a reason for optimism ahead of the trip to London.

Fabio Coentrao and Danny are both sidelined with injury. Cristiano Ronaldo will not be risked against England, with Bernardo Silva missing out as well (thigh). Pepe is likely to be rested against England.

Interesting facts

• England recorded their last win over Portugal back in 1998
• Wayne Rooney has netted 52 goals for England to date
• Portugal recorded a 3-0 win over Norway in their last match without Ronaldo
• Over 2.5 goals were scored in England’s last four matches
• Portugal recorded seven wins in last eight matches on the road

England vs Portugal betting pick

England have been producing fine performances of late and they are likely to stick to their attacking style of play in their final warm-up game. Portugal head into the match without their ace Cristiano Ronaldo and that is the main reason why I am tempted to put my money on the Three Lions. Roy Hodgson’s team failed to beat A Selecao in previous five attempts, but I believe that the time has come for the hosts to put an end to the negative trend.

Pick: England to win

Odds: 1/1