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Portugal takes on Armenia in these Euro 2016 qualifiers, with the hosts badly needing a win after getting beat by Albania in their last home game.
Portugal keeps on being unimpressive as they were rather poor in the first two Euro 2016 qualification matches after a horrific World Cup in the summer. The hosts lost their opener 0-1 against Albania at home and went on to win 1-0 in Denmark, but they did it in the 95th minute after barely holding 40% possession during the match. This is a team that has a couple of stars but just can`t find cohesiveness and the truth is that many of their players are overrated, also they do not have a quality striker. Worth mentioning is the fact that Paulo Bento has been replaced by Fernando Santos as manager recently (two games ago).
Armenia was expected to do some damage in this qualifiers after a solid World Cup qualifying campaign, but they have only 1 point in two games and overall managed to lose 5 of their last 6 games, conceding at least two goals in each of those defeats. Their defense is very poor and they are struggling mightily on the road. However, a more realistic approach will tell us that a 2-1 defeat in Denmark and a 1-1 draw with Serbia are not exactly results that Armenia should be ashamed of in these qualies.
Bet on Portugal vs. Armenia with the best Euro 2016 qualifiers odds at Ladbrokes.
Team news: There have been some changes in personnel for Portugal under Fernando Santos, he called up some veterans like Jose Bosingwa or Helder Postiga , but no big issues to talk about. Armenia doesn`t have game changing injuries and will rely on Dortmund’s Mkhytarian to lead the line.
Listen, Portugal is not that scary of a team but when you look at Armenia’s defense, you have to expect the hosts to bang in some goals today, especially with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the line. I wouldn`t be surprised if Armenia scores as well, they will have a lot of spaces to exploit on the breaks and they did score in 4 of their last 5 road games, including against Germany. Portugal does have a good defensive record, but this will be a different kind of game, with them attacking and conceding spaces in defense. I was thinking of picking both teams to score, but if Armenia does not manage to get one, there`s also the real possibility of a big Portugal win (3-0, 4-0) – so my tip here is over 2,5 goals, a much safer tip. I also like Cristiano Ronaldo to bag in (at least) a goal, but the odds for that kind of bet are just too low.
All in all, I`m betting on over 2,5 goals to be scored in the match. Prediction: Portugal – Armenia 3-1.
Pick: over 2,5
Odds: 1.70 @ Ladbrokes
Stake: 8
Possible profit: 5.6
Event date: 14 November
