Belgium v Portugal Tips: Bet on De Bruyne in the assist market

Live on ITV, the number one ranked side in the world Belgium go head to head against the defending European champions Portugal in Seville this Sunday at 8pm.

Belgium claimed nine points in the group stages after winning all their three games scoring seven goals in the process. With the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne in excellent form, their attack looks extremely deadly and capable of breaching any team’s defence.

Portugal were placed in the group of death and managed to finish third, level on points with Germany. They have also scored seven goals so far but have also conceded six goals in the process. An impressive 2-2 draw against France last time out will give them confidence ahead of this mouth watering clash which is probably the biggest fixture at the round of 16 stage.

Two heavyweights are going up against each other and I have included my three best bets for this clash in this preview:

Team News:

Timothy Castagne is out for Belgium. No other suspension/injury worries.

Joao Cancelo is out for Portugal while Danilo Pereira and Nelson Semedo are doubtful.

Belgium possible starting lineup:

Courtois, Alderweireld, Boyata, Vertonghen Munier, Tielemans, Witsel, Thorgan, De Bruyne, Hazard, Lukaku

Portugal possible starting lineup:

Patricio, Dalot, Pepe, Dias, Guerreiro, Pereira, Moutinho, Sanches, Silva, Jota, Ronaldo

This is a clash of two of the best attacking teams in the world. Both teams have scored in all three group games so far with a total of seven goals scored by both Belgium and Portugal respectively. However, both these sides haven’t looked too confident at the back and we could have a high scoring game on the cards.

With the likes of Lukaku, De Bruyne, Ronaldo and Jota all involved here, the both teams to score pick @ 5/6 looks like a no brainer to me. That will be our main bet of the game with a 1pt stake.

Kevin De Bruyne has two assists in two appearances for Belgium at the Euros so far. One of those appearances was just 45 minutes in a 2-1 comeback against Denmark. He also had three assists in four appearances for Belgium at the Nations League and 12 assists for his club Manchester City in 23 appearances this season.

His vision and range of passing make him a huge asset to Belgium and he will look to provide for their star striker Lukaku. 4/1 is a big price for him to get an assist against a Portugal defence that has conceded six goals so far in the group stages and I am getting on that with a small 0.5pt stake.

Romelu Lukaku is Belgium’s top scorer with three goals. Ronaldo is the top scorer of the tournament so far with five goals. Witsel has four yellow cards in 13 appearances for his club this season as well as two yellow cards for Belgium in five appearances at the Nations League. He is no stranger to a cynical foul and adding him in this treble gives us a huge longshot for this clash at 33/1 and I am taking that with a very small 0.25pt stake.

Best of luck if you follow these selections. Please always gamble responsibly.