Soccer Odds – Portugal and Greece Meet In A Preparation Game

Portugal is rushing to get their team ready for the World Cup, with or without star Cristiano Ronaldo; this Saturday at 2:30 PM ET they will meet Greece on a Friendly match at the Estadio do Jamor.

Portugal is not one of the favorites to win the World Cup in Brazil, but most people are expecting to see Cristiano Ronaldo in action, especially after he won the Champions League with Real Madrid.  Ronaldo has a tight injury and might not be healthy for the tournament.

“He will be with us but he will not compete. What I don’t want to do is put any sort of pressure on a player that causes them to compete when they are not in at the right state to do so. We’re not setting any deadlines. The player’s well-being comes first. I want him to be in the best possible form without running any risks,” said Portugal coach Paulo Bento about Ronaldo.

Portugal is in group G, along with Germany, Ghana and team USA, in one of the most difficult zones in the tournament.

The last time Greece played at Portugal they beat the home team at the Euro 2004 final.  The 2014 team, of course, is different, but once again will go into the tournament as underdogs.

The Greeks have striker Kostas Mitroglou as the player to watch.

“I wasn’t 100 percent about some of the call-ups until a few weeks ago. Mitroglou was one of those cases,” coach Fernando Santos said. “We watched the last 30 minutes of his game, and we paid a lot of attention — and we judged him to be ready … we’re looking at playing ability and physical condition: People who are safe choices.”

The soccer odds have Portugal as -200 to win the match while Greece is at +475.