Will Ireland surprise Portugal again at home?
The last international break of the year is coming up. The last participants in the 2026 Three Nations World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada are being sought. In the European qualifiers, the Portuguese will face Ireland. For the away game in Dublin, the bookies’ odds show the visitors as clear favorites for an Ireland vs. Portugal tip on the three-way market.
However, the Seleção are still without an international win on Irish soil (0-2-2) and also struggled enormously against the Irish defensive bulwark in their narrow 1-0 home win in the first leg. Against this backdrop, we do not expect an easy task for Roberto Martinez’s team in our Ireland vs. Portugal prediction.
In our view, the Ireland vs. Portugal odds at Oddset, the provider tested by Wettbasis, lean a little too heavily in favor of the visitors from the Iberian Peninsula. We therefore see more value in sending the supposed clear underdog Ireland into the game with a small handicap as a head start. As in the first leg, we expect another close game on Thursday and possibly even a point or two for the brave Irish.
Ireland – Portugal Head-to-head record / H2H record
The Seleção’s international record against the team from the Emerald Isle is relatively mixed. The proud footballing nation has five wins to its name, compared to two wins for the Irish and three draws. The record on Irish soil is even more negative.
While both previous World Cup qualifying matches in Ireland ended in draws, the Boys in Green also celebrated their two previous victories against Portugal at home. Nevertheless, the bookies are offering low betting odds for Ireland against Portugal for Portugal’s first away win against Heimir Hallgrimsson’s team.
Ireland – Portugal Tip
The dream of next year’s World Cup is still alive on the Emerald Isle. After two defeats, one draw, and only one win, our Ireland vs. Portugal tip should be a tip for at least one point for the underdogs to keep the dream alive. Because if they lose and Hungary wins against Armenia, the Magyars will be uncatchable in qualifying group F.
And getting something out of the game against Portugal is actually more realistic than it seems at first glance. Heimir Hallgrimsson’s physically robust squad, most of whom earn their living in the combative English second division, could once again make life very difficult for the delicate technical players from Portugal, as they did in the first leg.
The Boys in Green are likely to fight hard to maintain their home advantage against the favorites led by superstar Christiano Ronaldo. Ireland has so far defied the Portuguese in all four international matches on home soil, with both previous World Cup qualifying matches in Dublin ending in a draw. And we believe the underdogs can remain unbeaten on Irish soil again, even without their injured star striker Evan Ferguson from Roma.
If the prediction of another draw between Ireland and Portugal on Thursday proves correct, the visitors from Portugal will be happier with the result than the Irish. A point would see the Seleção secure their place at next summer’s World Cup finals.
In any case, we don’t expect a commanding victory for the Portuguese in Dublin. Nor do we expect a goal fest. The narrow 1-0 victory in the first leg, in which superstar Christiano Ronaldo missed a penalty, could serve as a blueprint for the upcoming match. The high-caliber Portuguese offense could once again find itself struggling against Ireland’s defense.
Three of Portugal’s four World Cup qualifying matches so far have seen more than two goals scored. It’s clear that betting providers with German licenses are therefore once again leaning towards a high-scoring game in the next match. Only in the narrow victory against Ireland in the first leg was this mark not broken.
Coincidence? Hardly, considering how the two nations have fared in the past. Only once have there been two goals in a match between the two teams on the Emerald Isle, with the last World Cup qualifier in Dublin in 2021 ending 0-0. We predict a similar outcome for this Thursday’s match.
