Portugal vs Denmark prediction, tips and team news | Nations League

Portugal play their first match since Cristiano Ronaldo retired from international football when they host Denmark at the Estadio Municipal de Braga on Saturday at 7:45pm, with a place in the Nations League quarter-finals already secured.

Danish Dynamite are second in Nations League A Group 4 on six points, three clear of Norway and Wales, and arrive in Braga after losing to the Selecao in Copenhagen on 1 October.

Portugal vs Denmark preview and form guide

Ronaldo announced his retirement on 5 November, ending an international career that brought a record 146 goals in 234 caps, and Jorge Jesus responded the next day with a squad that includes first senior call-ups for Alberto Costa and Gustavo Varela.

Portugal had already shown they could cope without him on the pitch, winning 4-2 in Copenhagen on 1 October, a day after Ronaldo left the camp.

Jesus' side have won all four group games, scoring nine goals and conceding four, with the 1-0 win over Wales on 24 September their only clean sheet.

Joao Felix and Goncalo Ramos have scored three goals each across three different matches, although Felix's 0.74 expected goals suggests his return has outstripped his chances, while Ramos' 2.48 sits much closer to his tally.

Portugal are odds-on favourites to win in Braga, so readers weighing up that price can compare operators through our ranking of the top betting sites UK.

In their Nations League matches this season Denmark have won two and lost two, with both defeats, 3-2 at Norway on 24 September and 4-2 against Portugal, coming when the opposition scored three or more goals.

Rasmus Hojlund has scored three goals in three different games from 12 shots, including the 75th-minute penalty that beat Wales 1-0 in Cardiff on 4 October.

Mikkel Damsgaard scored Denmark's first goal against Portugal on 1 October before an ankle injury sent him home from camp, and he has since been named in this squad.

Danish Dynamite have kept two clean sheets, both against Wales, and have conceded seven times in their two games against Norway and Portugal.

A draw in Braga would lift Denmark to seven points, more than Norway or Wales can reach this weekend because they play each other, but if Norway win that game and then beat Denmark in Copenhagen on 17 November, they would finish on nine and overtake them.

Readers who have not yet opened an account can compare recently launched operators in our guide to the best newest UK betting sites.

Team news and predicted lineups: Portugal vs Denmark

Portugal team news

Joao Cancelo is suspended through yellow-card accumulation, Francisco Conceicao is serving a UEFA ban and Nuno Mendes is injured, which strips Portugal of three players who started the 2-1 win over Norway on 4 October.

Rafael Leao has withdrawn with a hamstring injury and was not replaced, while Nuno Tavares and Tomas Araujo have also pulled out injured and been replaced by Flavio Nazinho and Goncalo Inacio.

Nazinho, who has only been capped at Under-21 level, is expected to start at left-back and could make his senior debut.

Diogo Dalot is expected to take over at right-back after replacing Cancelo in the 63rd minute against Norway, and he would line up alongside Ruben Dias and Renato Veiga in the centre.

Up front, Ramos is the expected focal point, with Pedro Neto, Bruno Fernandes and Felix supporting him in a 4-2-3-1.

Portugal predicted lineup vs Denmark

Costa; Dalot, Dias, Veiga, Nazinho; Vitinha, Palhinha; Neto, Fernandes, Felix; Ramos.

Denmark team news

Andreas Christensen is not in the squad despite returning for Barcelona on 8 November, with Brian Riemer saying he is still far from starting, and Anton Gaaei is also missing through injury.

Patrick Dorgu was recalled after a hamstring injury and returned for Manchester United on 8 November, so he is a doubt rather than a certain starter.

Captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg went off injured after 10 minutes in Cardiff on 4 October but is in the squad, and he and Morten Hjulmand started together against Wales on 27 September and 4 October despite his comment after the Norway defeat that the pair are too similar.

Riemer brought in Victor Froholdt and Gustav Isaksen for the win at Wales that followed the loss to Portugal, and Froholdt is expected to keep his place in the attacking midfield role.

Riemer has also said he is relaxed about Joachim Andersen and Oliver Provstgaard after their performances in the last four games.

Denmark predicted lineup vs Portugal

Hermansen; Kristensen, Andersen, Provstgaard, Maehle; Hjulmand, Hojbjerg; Isaksen, Froholdt, Daramy; Hojlund.

Head-to-head: Portugal vs Denmark

Portugal have won 13 of the 19 meetings, drawn two and lost four, with a goal difference of 40-23 in their favour.

The latest meeting was the 4-2 win in Copenhagen on 1 October, when Portugal had 19 shots to 12 and 10 on target to three, despite the hosts holding 54% of the possession.

The two sides met twice in the 2025 Nations League quarter-final, when Denmark won the first leg 1-0 and Portugal took the second 5-2 after extra time, and Hojlund has scored in both the March 2025 first leg and the October 2026 meeting.

Readers planning a bet on this fixture can compare operators in our ranking of the best UK football betting sites.

Our Portugal vs Denmark prediction and betting tips

Portugal and Denmark have both scored in every group game, which points to a contest with goals at both ends in which the group leaders' attacking depth should settle matters, so we expect Portugal to win 2-1.

Odds correct as of Friday, 13 November 2026, 09:45 GMT.

Readers who want to see how one bookmaker prices football markets can read our BoyleSports betting site review.