PORTUGAL VS. DENMARK- EURO 2012- RONALDO FAVOURITE TO SCORE
Portugal host Denmark tonight, in what is crucial clash for the men from the Med.
Portugal have a lot to prove in Europe having never won the competition, with their best result a runner-up finish to Greece in 2004 when hosting.
It is no secret that Portugal, while bursting with talent, are clearly not the global force they once were.
The main news leading up to today has been the much anticipated return to national duty of Christiano Ronaldo.
The Real Madrid superstar, free from injury, was made available ahead of Paulo Bento’s selection for the Selecção’s Euro 2012 qualifying earlier in the week.
Ronaldo, has for the past two years come under much criticism from the public – including supporters of Portugal- who are clearly anxious about the player’s performances and statistics at the international level.
These two countries faced each other in the World Cup 2010 qualifying, when Denmark fought to a sensational 3-2 win in Lisbon and held Portugal to a 1-1 draw at home in September of last year.
Portugal did manage to score scored four goals against Cyprus at home in their opener, however allowed a late goal for a surprise 4-4 draw.
All Portuguese eyes will be focused on the match in Porto, as it will be Bento’s first game following former manager Carlos Queiroz who was sacked last month.
Team Lineups:
Eduardo; Beto; Patricio; Silvio; Alves; Rolando; Pepe; Coentrao; Carvalho; Pereira; Tiago; Meireles; Machado; Veloso; Moutinho; Martins; Varela; Nani; Almeida; Liedson; Postiga; Danny; Ronaldo
Lindegaard; Sorensen; Agger; Thomsen; Kvist; Kjaer; Kroldrup; Jessen; Jacobsen; Kahlenberg; Silberbauer; Vingaard; Eriksen; Poulsen; Pedersen; Skoubo; Krohn-Dehli;Junker;Schone; Rommedahl
Despite Portugal's poor run of form of late, Betfair still have the Portuguese as favourites at 1.56, to Denmark at 7.60 even
Also, with the attacking potential of both of these side, an 'Over 2.5 Goals' bet is a good one at 2.06
Bet 365 are offering some great deals on scoreline betting, with a 2-0 bet in favour of Portugal at 6.50, and a 3-0 at 10.0 even
William Hill are putting a returning and in-from Christiano Ronaldo as favourite to open things tonight at 1.91 to score at anytime, with Manchester United’s Nani at 3.25
For Denmark, Mads Junker is top of the list at 3.75, and Nicklas Pedersen, currently plying his trade in the Netherlands, next up at 4.33
Today's game should prove quite entertaining from an action aspect, as Portugal head out to silence critics calling for a revamp of the national setup
Betting Tip: Over 2.5 goals at 2.06