Portugal vs Denmark preview, H2H and probable lineups - March 23, 2025
On March 23, the decisive quarter-final match of the 2024/25 Nations League will take place at the "José Alvalade" stadium in Lisbon. The Portuguese national team will attempt to recover in front of their home crowd after a narrow defeat in the first leg against the Danes (0:1). I suggest betting on goals in this clash.
Match preview
Roberto Martinez's team suffered their first defeat in the current Nations League campaign, losing narrowly in Denmark 0:1. Overall, the team had 4 wins and two draws before this. However, it is worth noting that during this period, Portugal managed to keep a clean sheet only once.
To secure their second-ever semi-final appearance in the Nations League, the hosts need to win by at least a two-goal margin. Interestingly, half of Portugal's group stage victories were achieved with the necessary handicap.
The Danish team not only created an advantage before their visit to Lisbon but also ended a four-match winless streak in the Nations League (2 draws, 2 losses). Moreover, Brian Riemer's team kept a clean sheet for the fourth time in the current tournament, second only to North Macedonia (5). To advance to the semi-finals, the Danes need only to maintain a draw, making their defensive play a crucial factor in the matchup.
In the current Nations League campaign, Denmark has suffered only two defeats – both by a one-goal margin. If a similar scenario unfolds in Portugal, the teams will face extra time. However, the Scandinavians' away statistics are not encouraging: in their last seven tournament matches on foreign soil, they have won only twice, dropping points in five cases (2 draws, 3 losses).
Probable lineups
- Portugal: Diogo Costa – Nuno Mendes, Ruben Dias, Diogo Dalot – Vitinha, Joao Neves, Bruno Fernandes, Renato Veiga – Rafael Leao, Cristiano Ronaldo, Pedro Neto
- Denmark: Kasper Schmeichel – Jannik Vestergaard, Joakim Maehle, Rasmus Kristensen, Joachim Andersen – Christian Eriksen, Morten Hjulmand, Christian Norgaard, Jesper Lindstrom – Mika Biereth, Gustav Isaksen
Match facts and head-to-head
- A bet on "Both teams to score" has won in 5 out of Portugal's last 7 Nations League matches
- Denmark scored in 8 out of their last 10 Nations League matches
- Before the loss in the first match, Portugal had defeated Denmark in three consecutive encounters
Prediction
Denmark deservedly won the first match in Copenhagen, as they had three times more shots in addition to a missed penalty. Portugal's defense is not impressive, and we believe that betting on "Both teams to score" with odds of 1.96 is a wise choice here.
