Denmark vs. Portugal: UEFA Nations League Match Predictions

The first leg of the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal match between Portugal and Denmark will take place at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Thursday night.

The semi-finals will be held in June, and the victor of the two-legged match will play either Germany or Italy.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

Denmark finished second in League A Group 4 of the Nations League last year after being eliminated in the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 by host country Germany the previous summer. They had eight points from six games (W2 D2 L2).

Upon Kasper Hjulmand's departure, Lars Knudsen was named temporary head coach of the Danish national team. In October of last year, Brian Riemer was named head coach, although the 46-year-old has yet to record a victory since taking over.

In fact, Riemer's first game in charge of the Danes was a 2-1 home loss to reigning European champions Spain. In their last group encounter, they were kept scoreless by Serbia, which was good enough for second place in League A Group 4.

For the first time, Denmark has advanced to the Nations League quarterfinals. However, they face a formidable opponent in Portugal, a team they have only defeated three times in sixteen encounters across all competitions (D2 L11).

The Red and Whites may take heart from the fact that they have won eleven of their past twelve home internationals (D2), with the loss to Spain in the middle of November being their only loss in that span.

After losing to France on penalties in the quarterfinals of Euro 2024, Portugal bounced back solidly in the Nations League, winning four and drawing two of their final six matches to finish first in Group A, six points ahead of Croatia.

Midway through November, Roberto Martinez's squad played to a 1-1 tie in a dead-rubber match with Croatia. They finished 2024 with an odd 5-1 home victory against Poland, a game that was scoreless until the 59th minute.

Portugal, now ranked sixth in the world by FIFA and fifteen spots ahead of Denmark (ranked twenty-one), is vying to repeat as champions of the Nations League after being the first team to do so in 2018–19.

The Selecao is confident in its ability to defeat Denmark and advance in the Nations League. It has won four of its past five matches against Denmark, including two in a row by a score of 1-0 during Euro 2016 qualification.

On the other hand, Portugal's road record in the last year has been inconsistent, with just two wins (D2 L2) in their previous six international matches away from home and three games in which they failed to score.

Denmark x Portugal Team News

The Danes are missing key players like Kasper Dolberg, Alexander Bah, and Matt O'Riley, as well as captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mads Roerslev, who have pulled out with injuries.

Rasmus Kristensen, Joachim Andersen, Jannik Vestergaard, and either Joakim Maehle or Patrick Dorgu might form a four-man defense, continuing Riemer's expected 4-3-3 shape from his first two games in command.

In the middle of the field, Christian Eriksen could join Christian Norgaard and Morten Hjulmand for Christian's 141st international appearance. On the other hand, Rasmus Hojlund could start up front, in which case Monaco's in-form striker Mika Biereth, who has scored 11 goals in 12 games since joining the club in January, could get his senior international debut.

On the Portuguese side, Pedro Neto and Rafael Leao might start up front with Cristiano Ronaldo, who is poised to win his 218th cap at the age of 40, representing Al-Nassr.

On Thursday, Martinez may also have 17-year-old winger Geovany Quenda at his disposal; he has allegedly agreed to join Chelsea from Sporting Lisbon. Quenda might make his senior international debut in some manner.

After sitting out the last international encounter due to suspension, Bruno Fernandes is expected to start in the middle of the field. Ruben Dias and Diogo Dalot, two players from the Premier League who are based in Manchester, may start in defense.

Our Predictions

Portugal to win @ 2.30 on Sky247.ng

In their most recent encounters, these two countries have met with little to no margin of victory; the previous four winners of this fixture—Denmark once and Portugal three times—have all prevailed by a single goal.

While Denmark does have a great home record, Ronaldo and company can pull off a narrow first-leg win. Another tightly fought fight might be in store for Thursday.

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