Portugal Women vs England Women prediction: Lionesses can count on Russo | OneFootball

England get their Nations League campaign underway on Friday, when they travel to Portimao to take on Portugal in their first competitive match since July 2024 (7:45pm, ITV1).

They have played four friendlies since their final European qualifier last summer, winning two, drawing one with the USA and losing to Germany 4-3 at Wembley.

Lionesses’s head coach Sarina Wiegman will hope her side can get three points on the board before they welcome world champions Spain to Wembley next week, in a repeat of the 2023 World Cup Final - when England were beaten 1-0.

Portugal vs England betting preview: Lionesses to get off to a winning start

England and Portugal have met three times so far with England winning twice and the other match endng in a goalless draw.

Only one meeting has been a competitive fixture and that was in the Uefa Women's Championship back in 2017 when England ran out 2-1 winners

They won a friendly two years later 1-0 but the last meeting in July 2023 finished as a goalless draw, with neither side able to break the deadlock.

England are a far stronger opponent now, even without all of the key players who will be missing from the squad due to injury.

Football betting sites have them at 2/11 for the win, while Portugal are 12/1 and you can get 6/1 on a draw.

They were already without Georgia Stanway, Lauren Hemp and Alex Greenwood before Lotte Wubben-Moy and Beth Mead were forced out through injury, which resulted in a call-up for Chloe Kelly, just days after she was left out due to a lack of game time.

The striker, who scored England’s winner in the final of Euro 2022, joined Arsenal on loan from Manchester City on deadline day in a bid to get back to enjoying her football again.

She made just one start in the WSL this season for City, but came on for Arsenal at the weekend, seven years after her last Gunners appearance.

Even though she wasn’t meant to be going to Portugal, you wouldn’t put it past her making the headlines.

Betting sites have her at 6/1 to score first or last or 7/4 to score at any time. Her Arsenal teammate Alessia Russo is the favourite to open the scoring at 4/1 and you can get 11/10 on her scoring at any time.

The 26-year-old has 16 goals so far this season, including three for England in their Uefa Championship qualifiers.

England have lost just two of their last 14 matches in all competitions and just one of those was in a competitive environment, losing 2-1 to France in a Euro 2025 qualifier in May 2024.

Their last four wins have all been by a solitary goal and although we know they are capable of thrashing sides - just ask Scotland and Austria who were beaten 6-0 and 7-2 respectively - goals have not been as easy to come by of late.

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