Portugal results
Group stage:
Drew with Iceland 1-1
Drew with Austria 0-0
Drew with Hungary 3-3
Round of 16:
Defeated Croatia 1-0 (extra time)
Quarter finals:
Defeated Poland 5-3 on penalties (1-1 at full time)
Wales results
Group stage:
Defeated Slovakia 2-1
Lost to England 2-1
Defeated Russia 3-0
Round of 16:
Defeated Northern Ireland 1-0
Quarter finals:
Defeated Belgium 3-1
Win-draw-win odds
Portugal – $2.10
Wales – $4
Odds provided by WilliamHill.com.au
GIANT-KILLERS Wales will aim to continue their run of upsets when they take on the team that likes to win the hard way, Portugal.
The Welsh have been scoring goals for fun against supreme opposition, firing in 10 in their five qualifiers, with just the one defeat.
Portugal, while unbeaten, have not been ahead at Euro 2016 in 90 minutes in any of their five matches.
They registered three draws in the group stages, before edging a 1-0 extra time win in the round of 16 over Croatia and then defeating Poland via penalty shootout victory in the quarters.
This makes for a match that features one of the in-form sides in the world up against a team full of superior talent that has not yet hit its stride.
It’s also a duel between two men who are heroes of their respective nations and teammates at club level.
If he wasn’t already, Gareth Bale has become a footballing god in Wales, while no words need to be said about Cristiano Ronaldo’s standing as the best Portuguese footballer of all time.
The two will have a big say in whether their nations make it through to the final.
While the two players – who both play for Spanish giants Real Madrid – are chalk and cheese in terms of demeanour, they both possess the kind of prodigious talent that can turn a game on its head.
Bale is paying $2.75 at WilliamHill.com to score anytime in the match.
He has three goals at the Euros, but has not scored in his last two. You feel like if Wales are going to win, he is either going to score or assist.
Ronaldo is $2.15 to find the back of the net, but has only scored in one of Portugal’s games – a crucial double in the draw against Hungary.
He has not been the goalscoring machine he is for Real Madrid, but Portugal manager Fernando Santos believes it is unfair to compare the star’s form at club level with his international record.
“Of course, you can’t compare and you shouldn’t compare the Cristiano Ronaldo who plays for Real Madrid with the Ronaldo in the national team, although we have a fantastic Ronaldo here,” he said.
“He is an example, as captain, of the spirit of this team, of this team’s determination. He wants to do well and he wants to win, and in this aspect he has been fantastic.”
The Welsh have been dealt a huge blow with their second best player, Aaron Ramsey, suspended for receiving too many yellow cards.
It seems a cruel twist for the Dragons, as the Arsenal midfielder has arguably outshone even Bale at France 2016.
Make no mistake, this game is going to be a tight one.
And the disciplined Welsh will not be resting on their laurels, if manager Chris Coleman’s comments are anything to go by.
“If we go into the next game and think ‘this tournament is so nice, and it is great, and haven’t we done so well’, then his lot will turn us over,” Coleman said.
“They will. They will beat us.
“If we go in with that mentality; that it doesn’t matter as, when we get home, the country have had such a good time watching us – it is over before we kick a ball.
“It all has to be behind us. It is only the next one.
“We have a huge chance here and I say that, as I know how good our boys are and can be.
“We have to get our gameplan right and then we have a good chance of good things happening.
“It is not easy to take the emotion out of the situation, with the amount of emotion that we need to take out of it.
“But we need to control it. We can’t let it control us and, if it does, we are dead in the water.”
Santos says his Portuguese side is the “ugly duckling” of the four teams remaining at the European Championships.
“I’m not worried about being the ugly duckling or someone who feels sorry for himself,” he said.
“I’m interested about getting to the final and winning it.
“It doesn’t bother me or the players at all.
“Would I like us to be pretty? Yes. But, in between being pretty and being at home, or being ugly and being here, I prefer to be ugly.
“I would be unhappy if it were the other way round and I was at home and people were saying we should still be in the tournament.
“We have drawn up a plan, we have a target and we are fighting for that, and maybe that’s not so nice for others.”
Expect both teams to sit back, defend, and hope their uber-talented star men can get off the leash and help produce the winner.
We’re going for a 0-0 draw at full time, with Portugal winning it in extra time.
Portugal vs. Wales betting predictions
Match betting:
Result – Draw at full time ($3)
Total match goals – Under 2.5 goals ($1.44)
Method of qualification – Portugal in extra time ($10)
Goal scorers:
Cristiano Ronaldo to score anytime in the match – $2.15
Gareth Bale to score anytime in the match – $2.75
All odds provided by WilliamHill.com.au
Possible teams
Portugal: Patricio, Cedric, Pepe, Fonte, Eliseu, Danilo, Sanches, Mario, Moutinho, Ronaldo, Nani
Wales: Hennessey, Gunter, Collins, Williams, Chester, Taylor, King, Allen, Ledley, Bale, Robson-Kanu
