Prediction: New Zealand vs Portugal

Verdict: Both teams to score – No

Best Odds: 1/2

Bookmaker: William Hill

With their dreams of reaching the 2017 FIFA Cup Confederations shattered during the second half of the match against Mexico, New Zealand prepare to lock horns with European Champions Portugal who still have a point to prove in the final group-stage match.

New Zealand

All Whites are yet to win any of their Cofederations Cup matches in a winless streak dating back to 1999, but they came agonisingly close to doing so in their Wednesday’s match against Mexico. New Zealand went 1-0 up thanks to a Chris Wood first-half goal but ended up losing their head in a busy second half which brought more than Mexico’s two goals for a 2-1 defeat in the end. Raul Jimenez and Oribe Peralda crushed New Zealand’s dreams, but the game bloiled over in the dying stages when Mexico captain Diego Reyes pulled back Michael Boxall, who then got involved in a fight with Hector Herrera. A mass brawl ensued and a VAR system had to be consulted before referee Bakary Gassama issued three yellow cards in a match that saw two sides lose their tempers in the end. Mexico bow down from the tournament with a match against the high-profile side and will be keen to improve the impression from a boiling Mexico match.

Team News

Even though they lost any chance of going through, New Zealand are expected to field the unchanged line-up against Portugal.

Rojas and Wood will lead the line in attack, whereas Boxall will try to contain one of Europe’s prolific scorer Cristiano Ronaldo.

Portugal

The reigning champions of Europe arrived to Russia determined to prove their strength and worth all over again as Fernando Santos brought his strongest squad to the Confederations Cup. Cristiano Ronaldo leads the line in a star-studded side that sits second in Group A ahead of the final group-stage clash. Portugal put in a fine display in their opening round against Mexico, but their defensive frailties cost them all three points since Mexico exploited defensive mistakes to claw back for a 2-2 draw. Fernando Santos’ men put in a much-improved performance against Russia, however, as Portugal went on to control the proceedings and land a 1-0 win courtesy of Cristiano Ronaldo’s seventh-minute goal. The Portuguese once again let their guard drop down in the final stages of the match but, fortunately, toothless Russia failed to make any use of their dominance during the late stages of the match. A win against New Zealand now stands as a must for Santos’ men.

Team News

Eliseu is likely to deputise for Raphael Guerreiro who is suspected to have suffered a leg fracture.

The likes of Nani and Ricardo Quaresma could be reintroduced into the starting line-up.

Key Factors to Consider

• Portugal and New Zealand meet for the first time ever
• New Zealand are yet to win any of their Confederations Cup matches
• All Whites scored only 1 goal in their last four matches
• Portugal kept a clean sheet in three of their last four games
• Portugal lost only one of their last 9 outings in all competitions

Conclusion

Portugal are installed as firm favourites to beat New Zealand and can be found at a very low price, which might not be valuable enough to make a risk. Therefore, we suggest a half-time/full-time win for Santos’ men as Portugal are expected to kick it off strong and go head first from the start or Both teams to score selection which sounds like the best choice for this particular match.

Verdict: Both teams to score – No

Best Odds: 1/2

Bookmaker: William Hill