With both Armenia and Serbia well out of the running, the battle for top spot in Group I looks set to be one between Portugal, Denmark, and surprise packages Albania. As things stand, the onus will be on hosts Portugal to avoid defeat as this will make sure that they secure their spot at the upcoming EURO 2016 tournament.
Football fans are all aware that seeding is quite important, especially when it comes to the group stages. As such, Fernando Santos's men will not be satisfied with a draw with the visitors, but will be pushing for a win to make sure they emerge as group winners ahead of the big tournament next summer.
Portugal
Simply put, one can't talk about Portugal without talking about Cristiano Ronaldo. The Real Madrid star, who currently serves as the team's captain, has led by example by scoring six in his last nine appearances for his county, as it was his goal that sealed all three points for Portugal in Denmark. Indeed, with 26 goals so far in European Championships, he will be keen on adding to that tally as his side prepare to welcome Denmark Thursday evening. With the exception of a surprise 1-0 loss to Albania, the 2004 EURO finalists have been impressive at home, with 13 wins, five draws, and a solitary loss.
In fact, they were on an 18-match unbeaten streak that started following their 3-2 loss to Denmark in 2008 and have rebounded from the shock defeat by Albania to win every single of their five qualifying matches. With Albania refusing to go down without a fight, a loss here could prove costly, but surely, they will be encouraged by their overall solid record versus their Scandinavian opponents. Out of their past 15 meetings with Denmark, Portugal have won ten, drawn two, and lost three, and at home their tally stands as four wins and just one loss.
Given that CR7 is the all-time top goalscorer in UEFA competitions, his legions of fans will hope that their player can not only score again on Thursday, but also rally his side to victory to both secure their ticket to EURO 2016 and finish as group winners. Interestingly, Portugal, in their last five EURO qualifiers have won their matches by a goal difference of one, so it will be interesting to see if Thursday's game will see the exact same result or if the hosts will absolutely crush their visitors.
Denmark
Last time the two sides met, it took a late goal from Cristiano Ronaldo to give Portugal all three points and surely they will want to ensure he's kept quiet this time around. Current coach Morten Olsen, who has announced he plans to retire after EURO 2016 surely would like to see his side earn a spot in what will be his last international tournament. Given that this is their last qualifier, a win over Portugal would see them at least finish in the top two, but they will have to hope that bottom-placed Serbia will take care of Albania, who sits in third.
Although Denmark are unbeaten in their last four qualifiers, and have kept a clean sheet in three of those, their last two finished as 0-0 draws in September, showing that they indeed are struggling offensively. Given the attacking firepower of their opponents, their defense will be under a lot of pressure and things could get pretty tough if their misfiring attack fail to score in Portugal. Three players - Simon Kjær, Lars Jacobsen, and William Kvist - are all one card away from a ban and should they feature will be walking a suspension tight-rope.
Unfortunately, Denmark's record against Portugal is quite poor. Out of their past 15 meetings, they have only won three times and scraped by for two draws. The other ten matches concluded as losses, with the most recent one taking place last October. Whilst this looks to be a tough clash for the visitors, they have exactly the same number of goals - eight - as Portugal and both teams have conceded four thus far.
Here's how the standings in Group I look prior to Thursday's game:
Will Denmark rebound after two disappointing draws in September and shock Portugal at home? Or will the hosts, as many expect, win here and seize top spot?
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