Portugal vs DR Congo Prediction: Assist King Bruno to be involved

Portugal open their World Cup campaign with a tricky match against DR Congo, starting at 6PM on Wednesday and live on BBC One.   

Jamie Pacheco talks you through the team news, form, and his tips ahead of this one, where he thinks the wonderfully in-form Bruno Fernandes can pop up with either a goal or assist, while there’s also a quirky Bet Builder worth investing in. You can check out Jamie's Portugal vs DR Congo Predictions right here on Betfred Insights...

Portugal  

Portugal come into this tournament at what is surely the shortest price they've ever been for a World Cup.  

Perhaps that's not a surprise. They're the only side to have won two Nations Leagues, while their side is packed with world-class players who play at Europe's biggest clubs.  

Four of them – Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Vitinha and Gonçalo Ramos - were part of the PSG side that won the Champions League. Of those four, the first three are almost certain to start here.  

Ireland gave them trouble both home and away but it was all pretty straightforward aside from that. They had back-to-back 2-1 wins in friendlies just before this match.  

As ever, the big question surrounds Ronaldo's participation. He's likely to start here, but expect him to be hooked around the 65-minute mark in the heat, and if he's not at his best in the first couple of matches, his place may come under pressure from the likes of Ramos or João Félix.  

Likely XI: Costa, Camcelo, Dias, Araujo, Mendes, J. Neves, Vitinha, Fernandes, Leao, Neto, Ronaldo.  

DR Congo  

DR Congo's path to the 2026 World Cup is one of the most remarkable comeback stories in African football. 

After 52 years away from the tournament, they returned to the global stage for the first time since competing as Zaire in 1974, thanks in great part to the calm and organised coaching of Sebastien Desabre.   

Their qualification was far from straightforward - they had to go through a long CAF qualifying campaign plus a tough inter-confederation playoff route, eventually sealing their place with a dramatic playoff victory over Jamaica, winning 1-0 in extra time thanks to a goal from former Villa, Stoke and currently Burnley man, Axel Tuanzebe.  

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Yoane Wissa are other players that English football fans should know well.  

Likely XI: Mpasi, Wan-Bissaka, Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Masuaku, Pickel, Kayembe, Moutoussamy, Bongonda, Bakambu. Wissa 

Portigal vs DR Congo Odds

Favourites have found it hard to justify their odds so far this tournament with Spain, Uruguay, Netherlands and Brazil all good examples of that.  

The heat has played its part, but so has the defensive organisation and discipline of teams defending in blocks and looking to score from set pieces and counter-attacks to get a goal of their own.  

These two have never played each other, so nothing to go on in that regard, but Congo have proved very hard to beat. They've lost just twice in their last 13 and that includes playing some decent sides in the likes of Algeria, Senegal, Denmark and Chile.  

That said, Portugal should really win here but straight odds of 2/7 aren't for me.  

A win that's tighter than one may think could well be on the cards (with 1-0 and 2-0 lively runners) is the way I see this going, which is why I went with Portugal to win and under 3.5 goals over at the 3-3-3 column at evens, but best we leave this market (and similar versions of it) alone here. 

Player to Score or Assist: Bruno Fernandes @ 3/4

Bruno Fernandes really is an incredible player and finally got the recognition he deserved when he picked up a number of Premier League awards after breaking the record for most assists in a single PL season.  

Those assists would certainly come in handy here, but if we don't get one of those, he could be good for a goal, too. He scored 13 last season for club and country, including a hat-trick against Armenia in November and then against Chile just over a week ago.  

The good thing about Fernandes here is that with his excellent fitness levels, he's likely to play the full match, with those extra 15 minutes or so potentially making all the difference.   

Price Boost: Portugal to win to nil, Portugal most corners, Congo most cards @ 7/2  

If this game goes to form, there's no reason why the bet above shouldn't be in business.  

Portugal have a decent clean sheet record against inferior opposition at World Cups so if they do win, it could well be without conceding a goal. And given they're likely to have the bulk of possession, they really should have more corners, too. After all, they've had more corners than their opponents in all of their last 10 games.  

As for the cards, though Congo doesn't get that many, one or two may be enough here, and you'd think they'd get at least a couple if they're under the cosh for most of the match.  

As a bonus, this has been boosted from 3/1 to 7/2.