Portugal vs. DR Congo Odds, Picks & Predictions - Group K, 06/17
The opening matches of group play in the 2026 World Cup continues with a Group K matchup as Portugal takes on the DR Congo Wednesday afternoon and we have you covered with our Portugal vs. DR Congo prediction. Portugal beat Nigeria 2-1 in their final international friendly ahead of the World Cup in their previous match last Wednesday. DR Congo fell to Chile 2-1 in their final international friendly last Sunday. This marks the first time that the two sides have met in World Cup play. Let’s break down this Portugal vs. DR Congo matchup.
Don’t forget to check out all the World Cup odds as the tournament progresses!
Portugal Hopes This Is First Step in Deep Run
Portugal advanced to the World Cup as they won qualification UEFA Group F with a record of four wins, one draw and one loss. The Seleção das Quinas outscored their opponents by a 20-7 margin in the qualification round. Portugal makes their ninth all-time appearance in the World Cup and their seventh straight here. The last time they missed was back in 1998. Portugal has an all-time record of 17 victories, six draws and 12 defeats in World Cup action entering this contest. The Seleção das Quinas entered World Cup play ranked fifth in the FIFA world rankings.
Against Nigeria in their final international friendly, Portugal held the upper hand in most of the metrics but found themselves in a tight match. The Seleção das Quinas held a three-to-two ratio in terms of possession in the match. Portugal owned a 13-5 advantage in shot attempts and a 6-2 edge in shots on goal in the match. Pedro Neto opened the scoring for the Seleção das Quinas in the 23rd minute off an assist from Diogo Dalot. After a few missed opportunities, Portugal found themselves even when Nigeria scored in the 37th minute. The score was 1-1 at the half. In the second half, following substitutions on both sides, Francisco Conceição scored in the 75th minute to give Portugal the lead. João Cancelo assisted on the goal. Portugal didn’t allow Nigeria an opportunity to try and get the equalizer.
Diogo Costa projects as the starting goalkeeper for Portugal as he makes his sixth career World Cup start. He has a record of three wins, no draws and two losses with one clean sheet on the books. Costa owns a record of six wins, one draw and one loss in eight World Cup qualifying matches. He has three clean sheets on his record in those contests.
DR Congo Hoping Long Road to Qualifying Pays Dividends
The DR Congo had a long, winding road to the World Cup. They finished second in qualification CAF Group B with a record of seven wins, one draw and two losses. That left them two points behind Senegal for the top spot. It sent them to the second round of the CAF qualifiers and they beat Nigeria 4-3 on penalties to advance. In the inter-confederation playoffs, the Léopards beat Jamaica 1-0 after extra time on an Axel Tuanzebe goal in the 100th minute. That goal sent the DR Congo to the World Cup. The Léopards make their second World Cup appearance all-time here and their first since 1974. In their history, the DR Congo has a record of no wins, no draws and three losses in World Cup play. The Léopards enter the World Cup ranked 46th in the FIFA world rankings.
Against Chile, the DR Congo held their own but were unable to earn a victory in the end. The Léopards owned a narrow advantage in terms of possession in the match. In addition, they held the edge in shot attempts (10-6) and shots on goal (4-3) in the match. The DR Congo had the better opportunities in the first half but the match was scoreless at halftime. In the second half, the teams traded chances before Chile took a 1-0 lead in the 51st minute of play. Chile made it a 2-0 score as they tallied in the 86th minute. That seemed to put the Léopards in desperation mode. The DR Congo got on the board in the 88th minute as Joris Kayembe scored off an assist from Brian Cipenga. Cipenga had a chance in stoppage time but was stopped by Chile’s Lawrence Vigouroux, sealing the result
Lionel Mpasi projects to make his World Cup début between the sticks for the DR Congo here. He made six appearances in World Cup qualifying. In those matches, Mpasi posted a record of four wins, one draw and one loss with four clean sheets. He also recorded a clean sheet in his appearance in the World Cup qualifying playoffs.
Portugal vs. DR Congo Prediction
We’re looking at a matchup with two teams having vastly different experience levels when it comes to this level of competition. Portugal is a deep, talented, complete squad that has the playmakers to do damage offensively. The DR Congo is a defensive shell that tries to defend first and counterpunch second. If the Seleção das Quinas get the first goal in the match, that forces the Léopards into a situation that they aren’t comfortable in. The Congo aren’t allergic to high-scoring affairs and this match likely ends up over the number as Portugal gets things revved up offensively.
Our Prediction: Over 2.5 Goals (DraftKings, -135)
Our Prediction: Portugal -1.5 (DraftKings, -120)
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