Portugal recorded an opening day Nations League win over Croatia on Thursday and will expect another three points when they face Scotland in Lisbon on Sunday.
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Portugal vs Scotland odds
Find the latest match odds for Portugal vs Scotland. All odds are provided by our best-reviewed online football bookies. Odds are subject to change.
⚡Quick Portugal vs Scotland betting tips
Portugal vs Scotland predictions
Portugal are unbeaten against Scotland in their last six meetings. Two draws is all Scotland have to boast about, with the Tartan Army’s last win over their hosts coming back in 1980.
The last time the two nations met was in 2018. Portugal won that friendly encounter 3-1 in Glasgow.
The fixture on Sunday is a competitive one. And it’s a League A fixture after Scotland won League B Group 1 in the 2022/23 Nations League, gaining promotion to the top tier of the competition.
Back then, the Scots were flying. Sadly for Steve Clarke’s team that is not the case, with the team on a dreadful run that can be traced back to pre-Euro 2024.
A visit to Lisbon to face Cristiano Ronaldo and his Portugal teammates might not be what Clarke and his team need now. But this is the reality of life in the top tier of the Nations League.
Scotland lost their opening fixture on Thursday night, going down 3-2 at home to Poland.
There are some positives that can be taken from the match. The Scots fought back well, having been 2-0 down at the halfway stage.
Second half goals from Napoli duo Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay got the Tartan Army back on level terms. But a stoppage time penalty from Nicola Zalewski saw Clarke’s team lose 3-2, Scotland’s third defeat in their last four games.
As for Portugal, they started their Nations League campaign with a 2-1 win over Croatia.
Diogo Dalot scored the opener, paving the way for the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo to score the goal that sealed the victory, the 900th of his glittering career.
Qualifying from a Nations League group that includes Scotland, Croatia and Poland will be a must for Portugal.
Especially given the change in procedure for this edition that sees the top two now qualify for the knockout stages, as opposed to the previous format that only saw the group winners go through.
Qualifying will also be essential for head coach Roberto Martinez, who some may argue was lucky to keep his job after exiting Euro 2024 at the quarter-final stage in disappointing fashion.
Martinez has an abundance of talent at his disposal. Yet his team underperformed in Germany, with critics claiming he didn’t have it in him to drop the misfiring Ronaldo.
Despite this, both Martinez and Ronaldo are still involved with the Portuguese national team. At this level of the competition, they should be okay. It’s when they get to the latter stages of finals that the scrutiny will really begin.
The 2024/25 Nations League draw was kind to Portugal. Back-to-back home games to kick off the process is ideal. And it also gives both head coach Roberto Martinez and Ronaldo a chance to silence their critics – for now.
Portugal vs Scotland betting tips
Scotland have just one win in their last 13. Manager Steve Clarke is under immense pressure. A credible defeat is the best he is likely to leave Portugal with.
There’s little value in backing Portugal to win at 2/9. So we’ve added some good value alternative bets for you below.
Over 2.5 Portugal goals – 21/20 (VBET)
A home fixture against an out of form Scotland who have conceded 17 times in eight matches this season is ideal for Roberto Martinez and his Portugal team to build some momentum.
As we’ve mentioned, both Martinez and Ronaldo are under fire after a poor Euros.
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Yes, beating Scotland may simply be papering over the cracks. But the fixture is ideal for them to fill in more holes against a struggling out of form Tartan Army on Sunday.
Confidence is down, and the Scots look there for the taking. Back Portugal to fill their boots. They have at least three goals in them.
⚽ Go for Portugal to score over 2.5 goals at 21/20 with VBET ⚽
Ronaldo to score anytime – 4/6 (VBET)
Ronaldo scored his 900th career goal against Croatia on Thursday.
He may well have had a poor Euro 2024. But this is the sort of fixture that will have the great man’s eyes lighting up at the thought of adding to his goals tally.
Throughout his career, Ronaldo has scored some vitally important goals. But he has also filled his boots against cannon fodder opposition, and that is exactly what Scotland are at the moment.
To score anytime Ronaldo is 4/6. We can see him scoring at least once against Steve Clarke’s frail team.
⚽ Go for Ronaldo to score anytime at 4/6 with VBET ⚽
Over 1.5 Portugal first half goals – 9/5 (VBET)
Portugal got their match against Croatia off to a flyer, with first half goals from Diogo Dalot and Cristino Ronaldo enough to secure a 2-1 win.
We expect the Selecao to look for a repeat of that fast start against an out of form Scotland side that is low on confidence and simply looking to survive at the moment.
Yes, the same Scotland team who found themselves 2-0 down at half-time against Poland on Thursday, and 3-0 down against Germany in their opening fixture at Euro 2024.
The Scots seem to be struggling and starting slow on the big stage. Expect more of the same on Sunday.
⚽ Portugal to score over 1.5 first half goals against Scotland at 9/5 with VBET ⚽
📺 How to watch Portugal vs Scotland
- Location: Estádio do Benfica, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Date and time: Sunday 8th September, 7.45 pm BST.
- How to watch: ITV4 and ITVX.
Read more about the 2024/25 football season
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
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