While the United States go into the match with confidence after securing a 2-1 victory over their World Cup nemesis Ghana, Portugal will be burdened with pressure as they contrived to lose 4-0 to fellow Europeans Germany in their opening fixture.
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Many had expected Ghana and the United States to play the role of supporting cast in this group but a win for the USMNT here would all but qualify them for the Round of 16 ahead of their Sunday opponents, upsetting pre- tournament odds. If Germany manage to defeat the Black stars of Ghana in the earlier fixture then all three points here would assure the Yanks of their place in the next round. The United States of America’s win against Ghana was not all blue skies and plain sailing as they lost Sunderland striker Jozy Altidore to a hamstring injury ruling the powerful forward out of this match.
If Portugal are to have any chance of advancing into the Round of 16, they will need goals as a -4 goal difference has to be overcome in the case that a tie on points occur after the group stage matches. Worryingly, in their last five World Cup matches, the Portuguese have managed to find the net only once, a 7-0 demolition of North Korea in South Africa 2010. The fact that Cristiano Ronaldo is only half fit will not help their cause but Portugal fans will hope the Real Madrid man can do a Luis Suarez who shot England down with a brace on his return from a knee injury this week.
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The last time these two met in the World Cup was in 2002. The match ended 3-2 in favour of the Yanks and I wouldn’t bet against another high scoring affair. It could well turn out to be a rewarding pick as over 2.5 goals is priced at 1.95.
The last five games between both teams resulted in two wins apiece, with each side scoring 5 goals. This makes it difficult to predict a winner purely on historical reference but I fully expect Portugal to edge this as they will play like wounded lions and with Ronaldo in the side, they can hurt anyone. The bookmakers have made them the favourites with odd of 1.72. A draw is priced at 3.90 while a United States win is pegged at a long 5.25. Personally, I wouldn’t bet against the greatest player on the planet.
Lastly, if you know anything at all about Cristiano Ronaldo, you will know that he almost always scores so backing him to score at anytime won’t be an entirely bad idea with odds of 1.72. Not surprisingly, he has the shortest scoring odds of the entire lot of players in both squads.
Probable Lineups
United States (4-5-1): Howard; Johnson, Brooks, Cameron, Beasley; Beckerman, Bradley, Jones, Bedoya, Zusi; Dempsey
Portugal (4-3-3): Patricio; Pereira, Costa, Alves, Almeida; Veloso, Moutinho, Meireles; Ronaldo, Postiga, Nani
Prediction : United States 1 – 2 Portugal at $8 with Bet365 – Join Now for a $200 FREE BET – Limited Offer
