Scotland vs Portugal: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

Scotland face a difficult fixture at home to Portugal and we are backing the visitors to come away with a win. The hosts are in abysmal form having won just one of their last 14 games. Portugal, on the other hand, have started the Nations League very strongly, winning all of their last three games.

Both teams to score has been a feature of both sides’ recent matches and has landed in all of Portugal’s last three outings and four of Scotland’s last five. Portugal have also dominated the recent head-to-head meetings between the two sides, winning each of the last four – Scotland 1-3 Portugal

Scotland welcome Portugal to Hampden Park on matchday four of the Nations League. They are still awaiting their first points in this season’s competition.

Date: 14/10/24

Kick-off time: 19:45

Venue: Hampden Park

Any hopes of advancing to the next round of the Nations League are all but over for Scotland, and unless they can pick up a positive result against Portugal, they will likely be relegated to League B. After three games they sit bottom of their group and remain winless. They are in tough company having faced Croatia, Poland and Portugal in Group 1.

Their opponents Portugal lead the way with three wins from three. It has been a dominant campaign for the side and they will be confident in extending this winning streak against a struggling team. Another win would put them in a strong position to advance to the next phase of the tournament.

Goals should not be a problem for the visitors as they have netted seven in their last three games. They are facing a defence who have not kept a clean sheet in their last seven games in all competitions. The Scotland backline will have plenty of dangerous threats to deal with, none more so than Cristiano Ronaldo. The 39-year-old scored last time out against Poland, making it three goals for him in the Nations League. It also brings his total up to 11 goals on the season for club and country.

Defensively, Portugal have also been strong making it a tough ask for Scotland at both ends of the pitch. Steve Clarke's men have found the back of the net four times in the last three however, including once in the reverse fixture in Portugal. Scott McTominay has two of these goals and is one of the biggest goal threats in the side. The midfielder recently moved to Napoli and scored his first goal for them last weekend. He is looking to bring that club form into this game.

Elsewhere, there is a lot of Premier League presence in the Portuguese squad. Bruno Fernandes and Pedro Neto started behind Ronaldo against Poland, whilst Bernardo Silva occupied a deeper role. He still caused the opposition many issues, scoring the first goal in their victory.

The home team do not have a good record against Portugal, especially in recent years. In 16 meetings, Portugal have won nine and lost four. They are currently amidst a four game winning streak, dating back to 1993. Scotland last beat their opponents in 1980. The most recent matchup came last month as Portugal were 2-1 winners on matchday two.

Scotland vs Portugal will not be available to watch on TV in the UK.

Scotland

John McGinn was not named in the squad due to injury. Nicky Devlin, Liam Lindsay and Andy Irving were called up for the first time and will hope to be involved in some capacity. Lyndon Dykes will likely remain up front supported by Scott McTominay and Ryan Christie.

Portugal

Portugal should have a fully fit squad to choose from with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line. They may opt for a different attack behind him with Pedro Neto possibly rotated. Roberto Martinez has plenty of options he can utilise, including Diogo Jota and Joao Felix. Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Bruno Fernandes are amongst other Premier League representatives in the squad.

Scotland:

In their last five games, Scotland have drawn one and lost four. It has been a thoroughly disappointing stretch for Scotland starting with a tough end to their Euros campaign. A 1-1 draw with Switzerland gave them hope of advancing, though they squandered a lead given to them by Scott McTominay.

A victory in their final game against Hungary could have sent them through to the knockout stages as one of the best third place teams, however they lost 1-0 and failed to record a shot on target. Hungary scored the winner in the 10th minute of second half stoppage time. They returned to action in the Nations League in September, as they fell to a 3-2 defeat at home to Poland. The visitors were 2-0 up at the break, but a Billy Gilmour goal halved the deficit immediately after the restart. McTominay equalised late, however Poland won it at the death from the penalty spot.

Portugal were 2-1 winners in their next game. McTominay gave them the lead, but goals from Bruno Fernandes and Cristiano Ronaldo turned it around. Their most recent game was a trip to Croatia, in which they lost 2-1. Ryan Christie gave them the lead, but they were unable to hold on with goals from Igor Matanovic and Andrej Kramaric turning it around.

Portugal:

In their last five games, Portugal have won three and drawn two. It has been a solid stretch for Portugal, and they have been in good recent form in the Nations League. Their most recent game was a 3-1 win over Poland. Bernardo Silva gave them the lead which was soon doubled by Cristiano Ronaldo. The hosts pulled one back in the second half, but a late own goal put the game to bed.

This followed a 2-1 win over their upcoming opponents Scotland, in which they had to come from behind after a Scott McTominay opener. Bruno Fernandes and Ronaldo were on the scoresheet. It was a repeat of the scoreline in their previous fixture against Croatia. Diogo Dalot scored at both ends of the pitch, either side of a Ronaldo goal.

The run started back in the European Championships, as Portugal made it to the last eight. They were unable to find the back of the net in either knockout fixture, drawing 0-0 after extra-time in both the last 16 tie against Slovenia and then in the quarter-final against France. They eliminated Slovenia 3-0 on penalties, with Diogo Costa the hero, but could not repeat the feat against France, losing 5-3.

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