There’s plenty of drama over in Europe, as World Cup qualification is about to come to a close. Come next Tuesday, there are several playoff games, with a trip to Qatar on the line. In this article, we have World Cup picks for UEFA playoff matches, which indeed will take place on Tuesday. Which countries will end up moving on to play in this year’s World Cup after all?
Portugal is expected to take care of business against North Macedonia
In a major showdown, Portugal is expected to take care of business against North Macedonia when they meet on Tuesday. For Portugal, they took down Turkey on Thursday, recording a 3-1 win. That was a dominant performance from Portugal and it has kept their World Cup hopes alive. More importantly, it hasn’t closed the door on Cristiano Ronaldo playing in one more WC.
Ronaldo will go down in history as arguably the best player of all time. There’s no denying he’s in that conversation. Lionel Messi is too, but Ronaldo has been nothing short of incredible while suiting up for his country. He has scored some unreal goals in his career and people are hoping that things can continue in Qatar once the World Cup begins to play.
As for North Macedonia, they recorded one of the biggest upsets of World Cup qualification, as the team took down Italy on Thursday. In that game, we were in stoppage time and the expectation was that Italy would go on to win things. Instead, North Macedonia scored a tremendous goal, shocking the Italian fans. That also sent Italy home, as they won’t be in the WC for the second-straight tournament.
While the top odds are yet to be released by the best rated online sportsbooks, Portugal shouldn’t have too many issues recording a win. With that said, don’t sleep in North Macedonia either. They pulled off the upset against Italy and will be ready to do things again on Tuesday. However, we’re going with Portugal as our pick. Agree? Check out our betting sites, like Bovada, and place a wager.
Will Ronaldo score against North Macedonia?
Leading up to that tilt on Tuesday, people will be wondering will Ronaldo score against North Macedonia? The odds of Ronaldo scoring are yet to be released as well, but you know he’s going to be eyeing a finish in this one with the trip to the World Cup on the line. No one is as competitive as Ronaldo. What makes him so special too is that he’s able to rise to the occasion under pressure.
This will be something he’ll need to do once again when Portugal takes on North Macedonia. After North Macedonia recorded its stunning win over Italy, they have all of the confidence. Despite their backs being against the wall, North Macedonia has proven that they’re not scared of anyone. They’re not going to enter that game with Portugal in a fearful state.
Portugal will know that they can’t afford to take North Macedonia lightly. That’s why Ronaldo will be fired up to record a brilliant game. At the same time, he’ll look at his teammates like Bruno Fernandes, Diogo Jota and others to have strong performances as well. If they can step their games up, it will be huge in helping out Ronaldo on the pitch.
Jota is in the middle of a sensational year, as he has been dynamite for Liverpool and has LFC back in the mix to win the EPL again. Jota scored in the win over Turkey in an impressive fashion. Defenders will focus on him, which could open for more opportunities for Ronaldo and the Portugal offence. Ronaldo would love nothing more than to score in a win.
From our chair, we think it’s written in the stars for Portugal to not only win this game but for Ronaldo to add to his legacy by scoring a great goal as well. He has ice in his veins and will go down in history as the best player of his country. With a trip to the World Cup on the line, how could Ronaldo not score? If you feel like betting on that to happen, check out our betting sites, like Bovada, and get a wager in.
In another playoff game, Poland vs. Sweden should be a game to remember here. Both these teams were able to advance to this stage thanks to some spirited performances. On Thursday, Sweden beat the Czech Republic 1-0, with its defence really stepping up. The CP couldn’t get into any kind of a groove offensively, and Sweden’s lone goal was more than enough to seal things up.
Now, they’re hoping to take down Poland with the winner of this match going to the World Cup. There’s so much drama leading up to this. Just like Portugal vs. North Macedonia game, the loser of this contest will be forced to watch the 2022 World Cup from home. No one wants that to happen, as the players will be fighting tooth and nail to win.
These odds haven’t been distributed yet, but there’s a strong feeling that things will be pretty darn even here. It could go either way between Poland and Sweden. Who will move on to Qatar? It’s hard to say, but we’re picking Sweden to win this one and move on.
With a background as a writer, Rodrigo has managed to bring together his hobbies and education writing sports content for various top-tier sites around the world.