New Zealand will look to play for price when they take on European heavyweights Portugal in their third and final game of the group.
The All Whites lost out to Mexico by a 2-1 scoreline in the previous outing. Chris Wood opened the scoring for the All Whites in the first-half before Raul Jiminez levelled things up in order to allow Oribe Peralta to net the winner. Meanwhile, Portugal earned a solid 1-0 victory over hosts Russia with Cristiano Ronaldo bagging the only goal in the game in the ninth minute.
The All Whites looked good money to at least score two goals in the first period, but Wood failed to convert a clear opportunity past shot-stopper Alfredo Talavera.This eventually cost them dire with a 2-1 defeat, eventually eliminating them from the tournament. Portugal on the other hand, came from a disappointing 2-2 draw versus Mexico in the previous outing in order to earn all three points versus Russia.
Portugal will undoubtedly be favourites to secure qualification to the semi-final stage, and the All Whites face a stiff task of keeping the score down, given the fatigue endured in playing three games in the space of eight days. The Euro 2016 winners have placed a steady defence at the back, and it will be a big surprise, if they concede a goal versus their Oceanian counterparts over the weekend.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s side are outright favourites to win the game at 1/12 while New Zealand could be backed to win at 25/1. The All Whites have conceded two goals in each of their last two group games, and a similar result could be expected with odds of 2/5 for over 2.5 goals. Portugal are also joint triple favourites with Chile and Germany at 9/4 to win the Confederations Cup.