Statman Dave's Belgium vs Portugal predictions
Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
FST’s summer signing Statman Dave is back for the Euro 2020 Round of 16 and his first port of call is the blockbuster clash between Belgium and Portugal on Sunday.
Dave backed Portugal to go all the way pre-tournament but they’ve been handed a tough route to the final and their struggles against Germany could spell disaster for them on Sunday.
Check out all of Statman Dave’s tactical analysis and expert insight below and remember to check out FST’s Euro 2020 predictions here.
Statman Dave’s Belgium vs Portugal predictions
This is undoubtedly one of the most star-studded ties of the round and Euro 2020 has bucked the trend in that these blockbuster fixtures generally have lived up to the hype.
The worrying thing for Portugal is that they really struggled against Germany’s wing-backs and Belgium are one of the best sides at creating chances for their wing-backs.
Thomas Meunier has been a common beneficiary of this, scoring 8 in 50 for Belgium, which is as many as he managed in 84 games for PSG. He’s somebody that Portugal will have to deal with smartly, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Fernando Santos continue to deploy a pretty defensive-minded midfield unit and look to largely create their chances in transition.
A draw was good enough for Portugal last time out against France and you’re never going to get criticised too much for drawing with the world champions, but their inability to create against a compromised France backline is a concern. Penalties aside, their total xG was just 0.63.
If Portugal looked slick in the final third you could make peace with the potential issues with defending against a back five, but they don’t. On the flipside, Romelu Lukaku has had plenty of service which is unlikely to slow down with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard behind him.
There are things to like about this Portugal side in general, but I think this is a really bad tie for them. I’d expect Belgium to win, Thomas Meunier to have 2+ shots and Romelu Lukaku to score.
Statman Dave’s best bet: Belgium to win, Romelu Lukaku to score & Thomas Meunier to have 2+ shots
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