Scotland vs. Portugal: Match Preview, Odds & Prediction

Portugal is on the cusp of qualifying for the quarterfinals of the UEFA Nations League when they travel to Hampden Park to face Scotland in League A Group 1 on Tuesday.

At the weekend, Roberto Martinez's team defeated Poland 3-1 to maintain their immaculate record in the 2024-25 edition. On the other hand, their hosts made a valiant effort against Croatia but ultimately suffered a 2-1 loss.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

On Saturday, Cristiano Ronaldo doubled Portugal's lead against Poland after Bernardo Silva broke the impasse, bringing him closer to surpassing 1,000 career goals. He is satisfied with more than 900 goals.

Although Piotr Zielinski reduced the deficit for Poland in an attempt to set up a fraught denouement ostensibly, his effort was ultimately negated by one of his teammates, Jan Bednarek, who, in the waning embers diverted the ball into his net to restore Portugal's comfortable lead.

The 2016 European champions are three points ahead of the next team in the 2024-25 competition, having demonstrated their capabilities against Croatia and Scotland in September. A victory would secure them a quarterfinal spot, provided other outcomes align.

If Portugal wins in Glasgow, the sole scenario in which they would be compelled to wait to confirm a top-two finish would be if Poland defeats Croatia, resulting in both teams being on six points and Portugal on 12. However, Martinez's team would need to lose both November games to be eliminated from the knockout berths.

The Selecao are the sole team in the four League A divisions with a perfect record of nine points after three games, making such a scenario unimaginable. However, they could only overcome their opponents on Tuesday with a significant fright in September.

Steve Clarke's team was in control of the match against Portugal last month after just seven minutes, thanks to international goal juggernaut Scott McTominay. However, Bruno Fernandes and the inevitable Ronaldo turned the tie on its head.

Scotland suffered a similar fate against Croatia on Saturday evening. Despite Ryan Christie's initial goal in Zagreb, Clarke's team could not maintain their lead, as Igor Matanovic and Andrej Kramaric led the 2018 World Cup finalists to a comeback victory.

Scotland's disappointment at having Che Adams's final-gasp equalizer annulled for offside served as an additional insult to their injury. Even though they have not been routed by any of their League A opponents thus far, the fruitless hosts are on the brink of relegation to the second division, barring an extraordinary reversal.

Scotland's prospects for a top-two finish are over, regardless of whether they draw or lose on Tuesday. The hosts have now suffered four consecutive losses, and their sole victory in the previous 15 games was against Gibraltar in a summer friendly.

Scotland had not defeated their upcoming visitors since 1980 when Kenny Dalglish was among the scorers in a 4-1 European Championship rout. The agonizing loss to Portugal in September also resulted in four consecutive defeats to the Euro 2016 champions for Scotland.

Scotland x Portugal Team News

Portugal emerged unscathed from their victory over Poland, even though Sporting Lisbon's Goncalo Inacio withdrew from the team due to an injury before the commencement of the October internationals.

Francisco Conceicao, Tomas Araujo, and Joao Palhinha, who had had a challenging start to his career at Bayern Munich, were all excluded from the matchday squad on the weekend. However, Martinez's tactical decisions necessitated that he exclude three of his players.

Antonio Silva is now an alternative option if jellied legs come into action. Still, Renato Veiga, a Chelsea player, began at center-back on his complete debut for Portugal's senior team, as Inacio and Araujo were absent.

Scotland has no new concerns to report following their narrow loss to Croatia. Before the match, Angus Gunn, Lawrence Shankland, and Greg Taylor withdrew due to injuries, and Celtic winger James Forrest withdrew.

On Tuesday, Andrew Robertson (77) and veteran goalkeeper Craig Gordon (76) are expected to add another cap to their CVs, with the former surpassing Alex McLeish for fourth all-time. Their appearances are nearly identical.

Adams, who has six direct goal contributions from his first nine appearances in a Torino uniform, is undoubtedly a candidate to replace Lyndon Dykes at the apex of the attack, even though his last-gasp equalizer in Zagreb was disallowed.

Our Predictions

Portugal to win @ 1.59 on Sky247.ng

Scotland has suffered three losses in League A thus far, all decided by a single goal. We anticipate that the same outcome will occur for Clarke's team at Hampden Park.

Although exhaustion may be a factor for both teams, Portugal's options for substitutions off the bench are significantly more dangerous, and the Selecao should secure the victory that will almost certainly secure their place in the quarterfinals.

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