Portugal vs. Turkey 3/24/22 UEFA World Cup Qualifications Playoffs Soccer Pick, Predictions, and Odds

Portugal is hosting Turkey at Estadio do Dragao in the semifinals of the UEFA World Cup Qualifications playoffs. Portugal has lost the top spot of their group in the last round, and if they go through Turkey, they will probably face Italy. Turkey was solid in these qualifications, they ended in 2^nd place in their group, but their defense is not that good.

Portugal hasn’t won any of their last 2 games while losing the one that has cost them the most, the top spot in their group. Portugal also couldn’t beat Ireland just before that, and same as Italy, it’s their own fault. Ronaldo has scored 6 goals for Portugal in these qualifications, while Jota has added 4 goals. The best player Portugal has right now is Joao Felix who is in excellent form, and they will surely need him because Turkey could be a threat to them. When we take a look at Portugal’s roster, they are pretty stacked, they have the depth and the quality, but they are a different team with and without Ronaldo in the lineup, and in my opinion, they are better without him.

Turkey was struggling throughout the entire qualifications, but with a 3-game winning streak at the end, Turkey has climbed to 2^nd place in their group. Offensively, Turkey was pretty solid with 27 scored goals, but when you have teams like Latvia and Gibraltar in your group, that is not that much. Their defense on the other hand is not good, and Turkey has conceded 16 goals in 10 games. Yilmaz has scored 5 goals for Turkey in these qualifications, while Calhanoglu has added 3 goals and 5 assists. The good news for Turkey is they have pretty much all of their players available, and they will certainly need them if they want to have a chance at beating Portugal. I think Turkey is good enough to score here, possibly even multiple times, but their defense will be their biggest enemy in this game.

It’s been a while since these two teams have played against each other, but the trends are on Portugal’s side. We know Portugal can score a ton of goals, but so can Turkey. I think this game will come down to the defense, and Portugal is better in that department.