The United States and Portugal are set to meet up in Manaus on June 22nd for what will prove to be a deciding Group G match. Portugal are coming off an embarrassing 4-0 loss to Germany which saw one of their key defenders earn a red card late in the first half. The United States, on the other hand, scored the tournament’s fastest goal thus far and went on to defeat a Ghanaian side who had defeated them 2-1 in each of the last two World Cups. Portugal’s star player is still dealing with injury problems which may present the United States with a great opportunity to earn a vital result.
Team USA (+1/2 @ +117)
The United States came out firing in their opening Group G match with Ghana and were ahead by one goal before even a minute had passed. A nice individual effort on the part of Clint Dempsey found him behind the last defenders and one on one with Ghana’s keeper Adam Kwarasey. Dempsey finished cleanly and the US had sufficiently shocked themselves and the world.
The duration of the match saw Ghana dominate possession and eventually level the scoring in the 82nd minute. The resilient United States only took about 4 more minutes to retake the lead in the 86th minute and end up hanging on to the lead and all three points.
I expect Portugal to be a bit more organized than Ghana and, as such, present the United States defense and defensive midfield with a whole new set of threats. If Cristiano Ronaldo plays a full 90 minutes it will undoubtedly be difficult for the United States to keep him out of the attacking third of the pitch and out of the net. What’s more, the United States’ focusing on Ronaldo will give other players such as Nani and Meireles more room to push forward and attack the US goal.
With that said, the United States tend to play up to a superior opponent’s level of skill and very well might give Portugal an incredibly tough go of things throughout the full 90 minutes. On the flip side, it will be interesting to see what the USA will be able to do on the offensive side of things with their main offensive threat Jozy Altidore going down with a distressing hamstring injury against Ghana in their opening match.
Team Portugal (-1/2 @ -132)
I would be remiss to judge Portugal’s chances against the US through the lens of their match with Germany simply because a red card in the 37th minute more or less eliminated Portugal’s chances of making their opening match a competitive one. There is no doubting that Portugal’s missing Pepe will be a factor, but I do not think it is one that Portugal cannot overcome. What will be a big blow, however, is if Cristiano Ronaldo (pictured, right) is not able to fully participate because of a lingering knee problem.
Portugal are going to need to play a more organized style of football against the United States than they did against Germany. I don’t think they will have many issues with regard to possessing the ball, but it’s what they do with that possession that will really count. If the attacking prowess of Ronaldo is in any way limited, it will be significantly more difficult to find the back of the net.
Conclusion
It will be an interesting match to both watch and bet on, especially with as much as BOTH teams have on the line. The fact that Portugal is missing some key players and the USA will be playing without its main offensive weapon in Jozy Altidore I think the game will be played super tight on defense from both sides. It’s also why I think it’ll be a low-scoring affair to say the least.
With that being said, I think this match will yield a goal for each said and conclude with a 1-1 scoreline. At 14:5 odds on Betfair, I think the draw is one of the safest bets you can make. The United States will be vying to record some type of result from the match while Portugal will want to avoid falling behind at any point in the match.
For those bettors who are in the USA, 5Dimes.eu is also offering a draw at +284, which is pretty enticing as well. What’s more, I think under 2.5 goals, at even money, is another solid bet to make, which you can bet at 5Dimes.eu at -102.
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