Portugal vs Luxembourg 12/10/19

12 October 2019

Portugal and Luxembourg will face-off in 2020 UEFA European Championship qualifying (ECQ) at the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon.

Big favorites to win here, the hosts will be looking to extend their winning run in H2Hs to 11 straight games, friendlies included. Not only that Portugal scored two or more goals in nine of those ten consecutive triumphs in H2Hs, but they also allowed Luxembourg to score just once across those clashes. Although they’ve started their qualifying campaign with back-to-back draws with Ukraine and Serbia, ‘A Seleção das Quinas’ have stepped up their game, winning both of their subsequent qualifiers, each by a margin of multiple goals. Taking into account their recent success in the UEFA Nations League, Fernando Santos’ men have racked up an impressive ten-game unbeaten run in all competitions since exiting the 2018 FIFA World Cup (W6, D4).

On the other hand, the visitors have picked up only one point from their last four ECQ matches (D1, L3) since beating Lithuania 2-1 at home. With a record of one win, one draw, and three defeats, they virtually have no chance of reaching the top-two spots in Group B, and considering their recent away form, they stand no chance here. Winless in their last five trips (D2, L3), friendlies included, ‘Les Lions Rouges’ have struggled to find the back of the net in all of those defeats, losing each match by the same 1-0 scoreline. A 3-0 away win over San Marino aside, Luc Holtz’s men have failed to score more than one goal per an away fixture in ten of their last 11 trips, friendlies included.