Euro 2016 winners will be highly motivated heading into the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying process which begins with a trip to Switzerland. Fernando Santos’ men will be the team to beat and there is no doubt that the Swiss will be looking for a morale boosting scalp from the European champions.

Steps in the right direction

The Swiss side boasts plenty of individual talent in the like of  Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka and other talented members of the national team. Switzerland has been turning plenty of heads lately with the adventurous and exciting style of play that has been introduced by the head coach Vladimir Petkovic and the fans are eager what the future holds for their young squad. The team is yet to reach its full potential which was on display during the Euro 2016 in France. The Swiss managed to beat Albania and play draw both with Romania and hosts France to progress to the elimination stage, but were somewhat unfortunate to suffer arguably undeserved defeat at the hands of Poland in the knockouts. Having made solid foundations to their national set-up, the Swiss are hoping for further improvement during the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. With only 2 home defeats out of last 11 games, there is a sense of optimism prevailing ahead of the Portugal clash.

Vladimir Petkovic decided to leave out the likes of Pajtim Kasami, Gokhan Inler, Valentin Stocker and Philippe Senderos. Switzerland will also be without Xherdan Shaqiri and Josip Drmic who are both injured for the occasion.

European champions with a reputation to uphold

There will be huge pressure on Portugal in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifications since reigning European champions will be everyone’s dream to beat. Having experienced a historic summer, Fernando Santos men head into the new cycle looking to avoid the play-off scenario which saw them grab a place at 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and secure their Russian visas by topping the group. Proving that France success was not a one-time thing is Portugal’s main aim during the forthcoming qualifying and the beginning will be made harder due to the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo. Real Madrid star picked up an injury in the Euro 2016 final match against France and is yet to return to action in the new season. Ronaldo’s UEFA Best Player in Europe award should however be enough of a motivation for his teammates to record a positive result from their trip to Switzerland.

Miguel Veloso, Ricardo Carvalho, Tiago Mendes, Renato Sanches and Cristiano Ronaldo all miss out. In addition, Barcelona starlet Andre Gomes was ruled out through a leg injury he sustained during the 5-0 friendly win over Gibraltar.

Verdict

High-flying Portugal are travelling to France on the back of the historic European title and a comprehensive 5-0 win over Gibraltar that will have been a good introduction to the qualifying campaign. Portugal are known as a tough nut to crack and we do not see to many goals coming in this forthcoming match.

Top pick: Under 2.5 goals   1.57 (4/7) @PaddyPower

Alternative pick 1: Both teams to score – No   1.78 (31/40) @BetVictor

Alternative pick 2: Draw   3.1 (21/10) @Bet365