Belgium vs Portugal
They are the two nations who have not only lived with but upset the established big hitters of international football.
Portugal need little introduction. They are the reigning European champions and, in their ranks, have arguably the best player the game has ever seen.
Few predicted them to be crowned kings of Europe in 2016 and, five years on, here they are again living with the best of them at Euro 2020.
Belgium may not have enjoyed quite that level of success but have certainly given more established opponents a bloody nose, not least at the last World Cup when they eliminated five times world champion Brazil en route to finishing third in the tournament.
They also have their own stars which makes this last-16 meeting arguably the clash of the knockout stages.
Of course, there can only be one winner and this pairing means one of the pre-tournament favourites will be heading home early on Monday.
Talking Points
After navigating a group comprising the last two world champions, France and 2014 winners Germany, Portugal could be forgiven for thinking if they are to retain the title they’re going to have to do it the hard way.
Led by the incomparable Cristiano Ronaldo, their captain is one goal away from beating the world goalscoring record in international matches that had been held alone by Iran’s Ali Daei since 2006.
That is until CR7 netted his 87th and 88th goals in his 127th competitive international in midweek.
This is where the comparison ends, however. This man is in a league of his own and the records show it. No Ronaldo, little chance of a Portuguese triumph.
Despite his brilliance, there persists a view that the European Champions are too reliant on their talisman; that they are not the team they were five years ago; that they are passive and flat-footed at the back – despite, in theory, having a better group of talent than in 2016.
Regardless of your viewpoint, the pressure is on Belgium who, for all their excellence, must know the legacy of the ageing world No 1 team boils down to the next two weeks.
There is generally an acknowledgement in the footballing worlds that now is the time for the country’s ‘golden generation’ to capitalise.
Their progress from their group was secured with three wins out of three and only Denmark provided a genuine challenge.
They have the most experienced squad at the tournament which now contains five players with 100 or more caps, Dries Mertens having joined Jan Vertonghen, Axel Witsel, Toby Alderweireld and Eden Hazard by reaching his century against Denmark in the group stages.
This tie is where the tournament really starts and when that experience will be required more than ever. Can they send the holders packing or are they destined to become one of the best international teams never to win a major tournament?
Whoever prevails, I think it’s fair to say we can legitimately expect Euro 2020 highlights in Seville on Sunday night.
History
This is a first meeting at a European Championship, although they have played in six qualifying fixtures, most recently in the preliminaries for Euro 2008. Ronaldo scored twice in a 4-0 home win in Lisbon before Portugal triumphed 2-1 in Brussels, thanks to Hélder Postiga’s 64th-minute winner.
Those were Portugal’s first ever European Championship victories against Belgium, who had won at home and drawn away in the qualifying competition for both the 1972 and 1980 tournaments.
In 1971, Raoul Lambert scored twice in a 3-0 home victory in Brussels and also got the visitors’ goal in a 1-1 draw in Lisbon, with Belgium ultimately going on to finish third at the final tournament; it was also 1-1 in Lisbon in October 1978 before a 2-0 home win in Brussels 12 months later, Belgium subsequently reaching the final of the 1980 tournament in Italy.
Belgium also came out on top in the sides’ only other competitive fixtures, in the 1990 World Cup qualifying campaign as they followed another 1-1 draw in Lisbon with a 3-0 victory in Brussels.
Their last two matches have both been friendlies. Ronaldo scored the winner in a 2-1 Portugal victory in Leiria in March 2016. They then played out a goalless draw in Brussels just before the start of the 2018 World Cup.
Overall Portugal have won six of the 18 clashes, with five Belgium victories and seven draws. Belgium have scored 22 goals, one more than Portugal.
Betting Tip
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Belgium vs Portugal | Total Goals 4-6 @ 4.10 |
| June 28, 03:00 (GMT+8) |
The SBOTOP Euro 2020 betting odds make Belgium slight favourites – 1X2 @ 2.47 and Asian Handicap -0.25 @ 2.12.
Portugal can be backed 1X2 @ 2.76 and Asian Handicap -0.25 @ 2.63.
The draw is available @ 3.20.
This is too close to call for me and I’m opting for total goal 4-6 @ 4.10 – a brave *** tip.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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