Five goalscorers to watch: Bruno could lead Portugal onslaught

Rob Eddy
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Bruno Fernandes has scored three goals in his last three games for Portugal
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Bruno Fernandes has often had to play second fiddle to Cristiano Ronaldo in his time at Manchester United and for the Portugal national team, but when Ronaldo has been taken out of the equation then Fernandes has had the chance to shine.

And that could be the case on Monday when Portugal look to strengthen their grip on Group J in qualifying for next summer's European Championship.

Portugal have won all five qualifiers so far, scoring 15 and conceding zero, and they get the chance to take a step closer to qualifying against Luxembourg, who they beat 6-0 away in March.

Fernandes never scored on that occasion, but he has bagged three times since, including the winner in a 1-0 victory over Slovakia on Friday. 

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Ronaldo is suspended on Monday, so United man Fernandes could play a leading role once more for his country, and the likelihood that he will be on penalty duty makes him a solid contender to bag at least two goals on Monday.

Aaron Ramsey has stepped up to the plate on many occasions for Wales and he will lead his side once more in this must-win Euro 2024 qualifier against Latvia in Riga.

Wales are trailing group rivals Turkey, Croatia and Armenia in Group D and anything other than a win here will virtually end their chances of making the plane to Germany next summer, with all that trio still to play.

This is set to be a tight, cagey contest in Riga, and goals could be at a premium but Wales will fancy their chances and Ramsey could lead by example once again and add to his tally of 20 goals for his country. 

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It is likely he will be on penalty duty too which could help his cause.

Edin Dzeko has scored 65 goals for Bosnia, including the opener against Liechtenstein on Friday

Bosnia-Herzegovina still harbour hopes of qualifying for next summer's European finals but they can ill-afford any more slip-ups and have to go for broke in Reykjavik on Monday, which should lead to an open affair with a chance of a few goals.

Qualification is almost out of reach for Iceland and it is questionable whether they will offer much resistance in this contest and Bosnia are fancied to secure a victory.

Veteran Edin Dzeko is something of a talisman for his side and looks a decent price to get on the scoresheet once more.

Dzeko opened the scoring in the 2-1 victory over Liechtenstein on Friday and he is likely to lead the line for his country again this week. 

He could feasibly take Bosnia's penalties, too, so he should get chances to add to his 65-goal haul for his nation. 

Bruno Petkovic opened the scoring in Croatia's 5-0 win over Latvia and he closed the first half with another neat finish, so it may pay to back the in-form striker to continue his goal streak against Armenia.

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Armenia are unlikely to succumb as easily as Latvia did, but Croatia look to be going through the gears as they chase down leaders Turkey in Group D.

Croatia have scored eight goals in just three qualifying matches in this campaign and they are red-hot favourites to win this contest. 

More goals could flow and there is a good chance Petkovic is among them once again.

Denis Vavro already has a goal to his name in these European Championship qualifiers and the towering centre-back could get the chance to add to his tally for Slovakia on Monday.

The Slovaks are long-odds on to get the better of the Group J whipping boys, who have conceded 16 goals in five matches, while being on a run of 18 straight defeats, and the result looks a foregone conclusion in Bratislava on Monday.

Slovakia are exceeding expectations in their group and are the closest to runaway leaders Portugal. 

On a three-match winning run, Slovakia could rack up a few goals and Vavro is a constant menace from set-pieces, of which there could be plenty. 

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PortugalLuxembourgLatviaWalesIcelandBosnia and HerzegovinaArmeniaCroatiaSlovakiaLiechtenstein

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