WORLD CUP GROUP K: The Ultra previews PORTUGAL v UZBEKISTAN with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
🏆 World Cup 2026 🏆
🇵🇹 Portugal v Uzbekistan 🇺🇿
6pm Group K returns on Tuesday evening as Portugal take on Uzbekistan in Houston on WORLD CUP 2026 Betdaq Betting Exchange! . Portugal dropped points in their opener, held 1-1 by a spirited DR Congo side, and it was a result that asked some uncomfortable questions of Roberto Martinez’s squad. The Ronaldo debate has been front and centre of course – as always you might say – but the opinion that he’s actually taking away from their talented squad and that the manager doesn’t have theballs to drop him is growing. Dare I say, Ronaldo desperately needs a performance here; just to take the spotlight away from Portugal more than anything else. They were very short to beat DR Congo, and they are very short again here.
Portugal are trading 1.22 with Uzbekistan 17.5 and the draw is 7.8 at the time of writing. Uzbekistan were beaten 3-1 by Colombia despite a battling display, and obviously they were always up against it in this Group but their fate will likely be decided by their game against DR Congo next. Although; maybe they could pull off a shock here too! Portugal were very disappointing against DR Congo – they went into that game as 1.32 favourites and although we have had other shocks, Portugal had a very low xG figure. Their xG created was only 1.07 – compare that to Spain who were held by Cape Verde; at least they finished the game with an xG of 3.19. Inevitably, most of the post match conversation centred on Cristiano Ronaldo. At 41, he became the oldest outfield player ever to start a World Cup match, and while Martinez insisted afterwards that there was “no sense” in leaving out the best goalscorer in the game’s history, the numbers make for uncomfortable reading.
Ronaldo had two clear chances set up by Francisco Conceicao and put both wide, finished the game without a shot on target, and has now gone ten straight games without a non-penalty goal in a major tournament, stretching back to 2021. The question being asked openly in the build-up to this game is a fair one: is he still Portugal’s best route to goals, or is his presence up front, ahead of sharper attacking options in a genuinely talented squad, actually holding this team back at this stage of his career? At the moment, you’d have to say he’s holding them back. Surely he should start on the bench, and come on as a boost to the side with say 20 minutes to go against more tired defenders. Martinez clearly isn’t for turning, but a quiet night against Uzbekistan would only sharpen that debate heading into the business end of the Group.
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Uzbekistan are obviously a very limited side. They take real pride from their World Cup debut, but they were outplayed. That is very likely to be the outcome again here, but you wouldn’t exactly be rushing to include Portugal in an Acca this week at such short odds given their opening display. The low xG figure is obviously a major worry, whatever about the result, the performance was poor. The gulf in class is significant, and I’d expect Martinez to stick to his guns too. If you were Uzbekistan, surely the plan would be to put XI men behind the ball and frustrate Portugal after what we saw a few days ago. This is a game for small stakes of course, but I do feel Uzbekistan can cause Portugal some issues. Under 3.5 goals is trading 1.57, and that looks a nice position. All eyes on Ronaldo!
The Ultra Says:
One point win Under 3.5 goals at 1.57 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
You can view all markets here -> https://betdaq.biz/WCPoUz
