Portugal vs Republic of Ireland Tips & Preview - Hosts to show superior quality over the Irish

By Tolu Shotade

52 seconds ago

Tolu Shotade 52 seconds ago

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Portugal aiming to maintain a perfect qualifying run.
Ronaldo key to Portugal's anticipated home victory.
Ireland struggling with form, losing recent matches.

Portugal vs Republic of Ireland

Portugal will be aiming to maintain their perfect start in Group F of the UEFA World Cup qualifiers when they host Republic of Ireland on Saturday.

The reigning UEFA Nations League champions have been in a rampant mood lately and have dominated all comers at home. With the Irish looking out of sorts lately, a comfortable home win could be expected here.

Portugal News

Portugal come into this clash off the back of a 3-2 away victory over Hungary in their previous qualifying fixture. They fought back from a goal down, with Bernardo Silva, Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo getting the goals.

That was the second straight win in Group F for Portugal, who began with a 5-0 away victory over Armenia. Roberto Martinez’s team are now set for their first home game of the campaign and have won their last four matches in front of their fans.

Portugal have earned a few one-sided results lately, beating Poland 5-1 in the UEFA Nations League to go with the victory over Armenia. They have scored in both halves in their two qualifying matches so far while Ronaldo has three goals in the campaign.

Republic of Ireland News

The Republic of Ireland will travel to Lisbon off the back of a 2-1 away defeat to Armenia in their previous qualifying fixture. They fell two goals down and stopped just short of completing a comeback despite Evan Ferguson pulling one back midway through the second half.

That result maintains Ireland's winless start in Group F, having begun their campaign with a 2-2 home draw with Hungary. Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team also have a poor record on their travels and are winless in seven of their last 10 away matches across all competitions.

Ireland have been on the receiving end of some one-sided defeats lately, particularly on their travels. They recently lost 5-0 in England in a Nations League clash and also suffered a 3-0 defeat to Portugal in a friendly.

Head to Head

Portugal have four wins while Ireland have earned two victories, with three draws from nine previous matches. The most recent meeting was a friendly in 2024, which ended 3-0 in favour of the Portuguese.

Verdict

Portugal v Rep of Ireland

It was a mismatch in the last meeting between both teams, and Saturday's clash should be no different. Given Portugal's recent run of dominant wins, a handicap bet could be considered.

Portugal have scored in both halves in their two qualifying matches, and a repeat is expected here. Ronaldo netted a brace in that friendly in 2024 and could be backed to score his fourth goal in this qualifying campaign.

Cristiano Ronaldo

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Portugal

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Portugal -2

Handicap

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