Portugal vs Serbia Odds: Three bets for this crucial qualifier

On Sunday we enter the last round of what's been an extremely long World Cup qualification and should start to be able to piece together exactly how the FIFA World Cup 2022 might look. There are a few huge ties over the next few days but none bigger than Portugal v Serbia. 

The Estádio da Luz in Lisbon sees the showdown between the Group A table toppers, who are only separated by goal difference. The Portuguese have conceded 4 less goals in qualification and it's this statistic that sees them heading into the game with a slight advantage.

Portugal only need to avoid defeat to seal their spot in Qatar for the first ever winter World Cup being held in November 2022. Serbia on the other hand have to win away in Portugal's back yard, against a team that is unbeaten in this league campaign and hasn’t lost at home since the loss to France in last year's Nations League contest.

The Bookmakers have Portugal as clear favourites in the contest and are best priced at 1/2 with BetVictor for the win, however, if you think they will sit back and play for that all important point the draw is available at 15/4 with Betfair. Those fancying the Serbs to pull off the shock and send Portugal into the playoffs will find them top priced at 8/1 with Skybet.

In terms of team news Portugal are without central defender Pepe after his sending off in Thursday’s 0-0 draw with the Republic of Ireland. Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo and Diogo Jota are all expected to return to the starting line up after being rested in Dublin. Bernardo Silva will have a late fitness test for a muscle injury.

Serbia are without four of their original squad and Filip Djuricic and Darko Lazovic would have been expected to start. However, In Aleksander Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic they have two of Europe’s most in-form strikers.

In the ever popular Total Goals market the bookies are leaning slightly more towards the Over 2.5 goals option with some bookmakers best priced 10/11. Cristiano Ronaldo and Aleksander Mitrovic are red hot right now and with Vlahovic and Jota threatening in the supporting roles then I can’t see either side keeping a clean sheet.

The Serbs have a far greater goal threat than the Republic or Ireland and only a dubious refereeing decision kept Matt Doherty from scoring late against the Portuguese. Serbia look fairly leaky at the back and have conceded more than a goal a game thus far in qualifying. Portugal looked poor vs Ireland but they cannot afford such a lacklustre performance here at home with so much riding on the result. I’m backing both teams to come out firing and over 2.5 goals at 9/10 looks good value.

27-year-old Mitrovic is simply unstoppable at the moment. The hugely powerful striker is in the form of his life for both his club, Fulham, and his country. He has netted 29 goals in 26 starts this campaign and is right near the top of the European World Cup qualifying scoring charts with seven. He’s averaging 4.1 shots per game in qualifiers and I can see him continuing his hot streak against a Portuguese defence without figurehead Pepe. I will be taking him at 3/1 with Betfair to score in the 90 minutes.

If you are looking for a long shot then you can combine with the first two selections with the Match Result draw at 10/3 for a total price of 28/1 . It's enough to put Portugal through and should they be drawing late in the second half I can’t see them risking defeat by going for the winner.

Whichever bets you decide to select, remember to always gamble responsibly and to never bet beyond your means. Good luck!