Cristiano Ronaldo headlines Team Portugal at 41 years old as they look to compete in Group K.
It’s far from the easiest group, as it also boasts one of the tournament’s most intriguing dark horses in Colombia.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo comes in as the 46th-ranked team in the World Cup field, while Portugal comes in ranked as the fifth-best, per the FIFA Rankings.
It’s quite the mismatch on Wednesday, as Portugal is -350 on the three-way moneyline to come away victorious, while a draw is a big long shot at +475.
That’s been the most common outcome in the World Cup field this year, with all four games ending even on Monday, including a shocker of Spain-Cape Verde.
Portugal vs. Congo prediction
Congo DR is an intriguing group that has some talent, with their three main defensive cogs, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Noah Sadiki, and Chancel Mbemba, all playing in a Big 5 European league.
Yoane Wiss of Newcastle is a legitimate target for them on the offensive end.
Stylistically, Congo DR is not looking to hold onto the ball in midfield, instead preferring to sit back, play defense, and hit their opposition on the counterattack.
That could certainly be their undoing against a strong Portugal squad, but French manager Sébastien Desabre should have his Congo DR team ready for that.
I suspect that the Congo DR gets on the board in this game, though I have my doubts that the defense will be able to hold up for 90 minutes against a formidable Portuguese side.
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For that reason, I’ll target the Congo DR to score at least one goal (+115, BetMGM) and ignore their potentially leaky defense if Portugal comes out firing.
THE PLAY: Over 0.5 goal for Congo DR (+115, BetMGM)
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