Cristiano Ronaldo is back in Portugal squad after taking a small break. He wants to help his team get a place in the Euro 2020 and considering that two teams from the Group B will go to the final tournament, their chances seem pretty decent. But, this doesn’t mean they can relax. On the contrary, they need to start their campaign in the fifth gear, which implies beating Serbia at Da Luz in Lisbon on Monday evening. Can they do it or are we gonna see an upset? Find out in Portugal vs Serbia prediction and betting tips!
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Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo wasn’t in the team in the Nations League, but he’s back now to help Portugal book a spot in Euro 2020 as soon as possible. He’s already 34 but CR7 has no intention of retiring. Unless something really strange happens, we’ll probably see him at the Euro 2020.
And by ‘strange’ I’m not talking about injuries or a sudden drop in form. Ronaldo has the body of a much younger man, so we’re going to watch him play for at least a couple of years more. What I’m talking about is whether Portugal are going to qualify for the final tournament. Sure, they’re huge favorites to win the group, but they need to show it.
They need to start their campaign in the top gear in order to finish the job early. And implies beating Serbia on Monday. One of the reasons why winning this match is important for them is that they play in the semifinals of the Nations League in June, so doing well in this game would keep their confidence high.
Speaking of the Nations League, they reached the semifinals without Ronaldo in the team. The same guys who won the Group 3 of the Ligue A are in the squad, but this time they’re even more powerful now that CR7 is back.
Serbia
Although they didn’t do much at the World Cup 2018, there’s no arguing that Serbia has some really good players. Players are great, but what about their manager, Mladen Krstajic? This is his first job as a manager and so far, he’s been facing a lot of criticism.
He got appointed this role before the World Cup, even though another manager led the team through the qualification. And although Serbia wasn’t considered a favorite to win the group, in which they played together with Brazil, Switzerland, and Costa Rica, the fans were optimistic about the prospect of the knockout stage. But, Serbia finished in the third spot.
The biggest issue people have with Krstajic as the manager of the Serbian national team is his attitude to players, which hasn’t been too great. First of all, he stripped Branislav Ivanovic off captaincy just before World Cup. Then he got in an argument with Crystal Palace’s top scorer Luka Milivojevic, eventually leaving him out of the squad.
Still, even though these things had an impact on the atmosphere in the locker room, Serbia did do well in the Nations League, as well as in the friendlies afterward. The last match they played was a friendly with Germany last Wednesday, which ended 1:1.
Possible Lineups
Portugal
Rui Patricio – Pepe, Fonte, Cancelo, Rui – Moutinho, Jota, Carvalho – Silva, Felix, Ronaldo
Serbia
Dmitrovic – Spajic, Milenkovic, Rukavina, Kolarov – Maksimovic, Milinkovic-Savic, Matic, Ljajic, Tadic – Mitrovic
Portugal vs Serbia Prediction
Even with Cristiano Ronaldo in the team, Portugal would’ve been a huge favorite against Serbia. This way, I expect an easy home win.
Portugal vs Serbia Betting Tips
- Portugal @1.61 (bet365)
- Over 2.5 Goals @2.16 (1XBET)