Brazil v Portugal betting odds

Winning Group G gets more important with the passing of every day. While the victors at the Moses Mabhida Stadium would potentially play Holland in the quarter finals, they will avoid the half of the draw which includes England, Argentina, Germany and probably Spain. While Vicente Del Bosque’s team are hovering around even money to win Group H, a runners-up berth is surely more likely. Therefore, while Brazil are through to the last sixteen, it’s hard to see Dunga treating this game particularly lightly. He will want to maintain the excellence shown against the Ivory Coast last Sunday, even if the team will be missing the suspended Kaka. While the Real Madrid star sits on the bench and considers how foolish he was to receive two yellow cards, his team-mates are strong favourites at 13/10 (Coral) to land another win which would give them maximum points in Group G. It promises to be an entertaining game, especially as the Brazilian defence is not proving particularly watertight. North Korea and the Cote d’Ivoire both managed a consolation goal against the Selecao in previous matches, so perhaps it follows that Portugal will also find the net, especially as six members of their squad were on the scoresheet against the People’s Republic on Monday. Carlos Queiroz’s team will be going for the win, especially as they have little to fear due to the nine goals’ superior goal difference they have over the Elephants. The Iberian team are 11/4 (Bet Fred) to land a famous win and book themselves a match against the runners-up of Group H. It’s clearly just a matter of speculation as to whom they would meet, although Switzerland going through in second place would give them a strong chance of getting through to the final. The team have a clear match-winner in Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be looking to break free from the shackles of Gilberto Silva to make a difference for his country. The Real Madrid forward is 6/1 (Ladbrokes) to open the scoring and you can bet that he’s been practising his free kicks ahead of this match, although it’s strange that Tiago is priced at 33/1 (Paddy Power) on the same market considering that he scored two against the North Koreans. This will also be a significant match for striker Liedson, who was born in Brazil and became a naturalised Portuguese international recently. He’s 9/1 (Ladbrokes) to break the deadlock. As for Brazil, they still have attacking flair without the suspended Kaka and striker Luis Fabiano is on course to win the Golden Shoe after his excellent brace against the Ivory Coast. The Sevilla forward will be eyeing more goals from this match ahead of the knockout stages where games are traditionally more low-scoring. You can back him at 11/2 (Victor Chandler) to score first. If you think that Brazil will dominate to the extent that they did in their last game, Stan James offers 3/1 that the World Cup favourites lead at half-time and full-time.