Euro 2012 Qualifying Betting: Portugal v Cyprus

Internationals / Tobias Gourlay / 02 September 2010 / Leave a Comment

Portuguese Men o' Bore: Portugal weren't great to watch at the World Cup, but they conceded only once in 360 minutes of action.

"Ronaldo’s relatively poor performances for his country are well-known, Queiroz’s touchline decision-making is often questionable and it’s not clear they will be missed much."

As a nation of navigators, Portugal really should find their way to three points and a clean sheet in Friday's game with Cyprus, says Tobias Gourlay.

Portugal's coach, Carlos Queiroz, is banned from the touchline for his team's opening Euro 2012 qualifier against Cyprus because he disturbed an anti-doping control - apparently there was an angry incident at the Selecao's pre-World Cup training camp - and Cristiano Ronaldo won't even get as far as the Dom Afonso Henriques Stadium in Guimaraes after getting injured playing for Real Madrid at the weekend.

But Ronaldo's relatively poor performances for his country are well-known, Queiroz's touchline decision-making is often questionable and it's not clear they will be missed much. After all, Portugal have won all eight previous meetings with Cyprus, scoring 15 times without reply in four home games.

The Portuguese are only [1.25] to win again on Friday, so it's the 'without reply' nature of those victories that's most interesting. They've kept clean sheets in 20 of the 26 matches they've played since Queiroz took charge a couple of years ago (12/16 competitive ones).

Cyprus have scored in 13 of the 25 European Championships and World Cup qualifiers they've played since the turn of the millennium, but goals are easier to come by in San Marino, the Faroe Islands and Andorra. Even if they don't get the midfield protection they got against bigger teams in South Africa, when they conceded only once in four matches, Ricardo Carvalho and Bruno Alves should have a fairly quiet Friday night and the Portugal Clean Sheet is attractively priced at [1.66].

If you think the Portuguese attackers - about whom we should still have reservations, despite that North Korea result - will find a goal of their own, then even money about the Portugal Win to Nil should also appeal.

Best Bet: Back Portugal Clean Sheet at [1.66]
Recommended Bet: Back Portugal Win to Nil at [2.0]