MATCH PREVIEWS
Switzerland vs Portugal match preview and betting tips 06 Sep 2016
The celebrations are over. After winning the European Championship in France this summer, it’s time for Portugal to start its World Cup qualifiers as well.
It won’t be an easy first step for Fernando Santos’ squad though, because Seleção will have to travel to Basel and face the usually strong team of Switzerland. It’s safe to say that these are the two big favourites for the first two places in Group B of the World Cup qualifiers.
The most important thing to note is that Portugal’s superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is not going to feature in this game. Real Madrid’s striker is still resting after the intensive last season and the injury he recieved during the Euro 2016 final against France. This is not good news for Fernando Santos, because of the importance of this match. It’s logical to think that Switzerland and Portugal will be fighting for the first place in the group, which is ensuring an automatic qualification for the Wrold Cup in Russia.
Barcelona’s new signing Andre Gomes is also out of Portugal’s squad for the clash, suffering an injury during the 5-0 win in a friendly game against Gibraltar. The midfielder was replaced by Porto’s Andre Andre. Portugal’s wonderkid Renato Sanches is also missing the game because of an injury.
If we look at the head-to-head records between Switzerland and Portugal, we shall see that there are just 8 official games played between the two sides so far. The advantage is for Portugal with Seleção winning three of these games, while three more ended with a draw. Switzerland have won twice so far, with the last time being during the Euro 2008 on a domestic ground.
Prediction: With the World Cup qualifiers just starting, we should expect to see two teams with more careful approach. Especially when they know that it’s more important to avoid losing than anything else. It’s a good idea for fotball tips to try a draw or under 2.5 goals for this clash, especially with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo missing it.
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