Love is in the air and midway through the month of February. In the same week as Valentine’s Day, fans around the old continent will be looking forward to passionate displays from their teams. This includes a quartet of Portuguese clubs that remain involved, hoping to break the hearts of their opponents, ardently seeking to make progress.
All four will face challenging encounters, as two clubs from Italy and one each from Belgium and Denmark will look to pursue their own aspirations in European competitions at the expense of Portugal’s representatives. How far will Cupid’s Arrow carry the trajectory of our four sides from Portugal? Well, oddsmakers are somewhat sceptical of their chances, when perusing the latest outright winner markets.
Based upon ratings covering the best football betting sites, highlighting the most competitive odds and looking at the value of current promotions, prices can vary significantly. Some online bookies also provide better coverage of European competitions, which also means that comparing available markets is also important. Likewise, our Portuguese quartet will inevitably seek to prove the oddsmakers wrong.
Clube Brugge v Benfica – UEFA Champions League
Benfica are a historically successful Portuguese club in European competitions, having achieved back to back European Cup triumphs in 1961 and 1961, back when legendary Eusebio was making his breakthrough at the club. He was part of the Benfica side which successfully defended their title, although it was a long time ago.
Benfica reached three more finals during the 1960s, only to be frustrated, befalling the same outcomes when they reached the 1988 and 1990 finals. Now more than 30 years later, The Eagles are once again taking flight, hopeful of soaring through their next elimination contest, ready to face Belgian side Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
Whilst clear favourites to win over the two legs against Club Brugge, oddsmakers are giving Benfica little chance of going all the way this year. Indeed, they are considered to be something of a dark horse, cautiously priced at odds ranging anywhere between 19.00 shortest and 31.00 longest, using the popular European decimal format.
Inter Milan v Porto – UEFA Champions League
Defeating the mighty Bayern Munich in the 1987 European Cup final, FC Porto claimed their first ever continental success, going on to win the UEFA Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup that year. Having already won the UEFA Cup in 2003, the love affair between José Mourinho and Europe was consummated by UEFA Champions League in 2004, making him one of the most iconic managers of our time.
Porto won the UEFA Europa League again in 2011, during what became an all-Portuguese affair, getting the better of Benfica in the semi-finals and Braga in the final. However, during the last decade they have a mixed record of progress, whenever attempting to reach beyond the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
The challenge of doing so will be made all the more difficult this time, taking on powerful Italian side Inter Milan. Despite beating Juventus and Lazio in European competition in recent years under Sérgio Conceição, Porto are quoted as underdogs for the particular tie. But nobody should ever discount The Dragons and their ferocious potential, despite ranging at sizeable longshot odds between 51.00 and even 101.00 to win the UEFA Champions League.
Sporting v Midtjylland – UEFA Europa League
Boasting their own rich affinity with continental football, Sporting won the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1964, making them the only Portuguese club to lift the trophy. In many respects, this defunct competition was replaced by the UEFA Europa League, which features a combination of domestic cup winners and league runners-up.
The continental adventure began for Sporting in the UEFA Champions League this season, but after an excellent start with superb wins against Eintracht Frankfurt, then Tottenham Hotspur, they were crushed 4-1 away at Marseille. Beaten again by the French side in the return match of the group stage. The Lions were then held by Spurs and beaten by Frankfurt.
Having dropped out of the UEFA Champions League running, Sporting now face an elimination contest in the UEFA Europa League Playoff, taking on Danish side Midtjylland for the chance to feature in the Round of 16. While firmly backed to win this tie, the Lisbon outfit will have a tough time of lifting the trophy, priced between 26.00 shortest odds and 41.00 longest.
Braga v Fiorentina – UEFA Conference League
While they might not be anywhere near as famous as the “big three” in Portuguese football, certainly beyond the borders of the country itself, SC Braga do have a proud history of participation in European competitions. They have featured in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup Winners Cup, UEFA Europa League, and won the UEFA Intertoto Cup in 2008.
The greatest continental achievement for Braga was reaching the 2011 UEFA Cup final, although as fate would have it, they were beaten by their near Portuguese rivals Porto. It is remarkable to think that in a competition involving hundreds of clubs geographically thousands of miles from one another, that final was played between two teams located just 50 km apart!
Agonisingly and surprisingly third in their UEFA Europa League group, Braga now find themselves bumped into the UEFA Conference League, needing to win a playoff tie to reach the Round of 16.
Braga must beat Italian outfit Fiorentina for the chance to progress, although the bookies are viewing this as an even contest, making it difficult to predict who will make it through. However, oddsmakers do feel that if Braga do pass this test, their prospects of winning the UEFA Conference League are fairly good, valued at 11.00 shortest odds and 19.00 longest.
