Portugal vs DR Congo World Cup 2026: Why to back Aaron Wan-Bissaka to make 3+ tackles at 2/1

Portugal and DR Congo meet in their opening Group K fixture of the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday evening at Houston Stadium, with the former aiming to reinforce their status as dark horses for the title and the latter beginning their campaign as clear underdogs. 

Selecao das Quinas are regulars on football's biggest stage but are still searching for a first World Cup triumph, and Roberto Martinez's squad appears well equipped to challenge for the trophy this summer, with their golden generation led by Cristiano Ronaldo and supported by an array of elite talent across the pitch.

Meanwhile, DR Congo are making their first appearance at the global tournament since 1974, when they competed under the name Zaire, and there is an obvious gulf in quality between the two teams, who are likely to approach this contest in contrasting fashion.

Portugal are likely to dominate possession and commit numbers forward, while the Leopards will likely spend long periods without the ball, and as such, the defensive unit of the African nation could be the busiest area of the side, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka expected to have plenty of work to do down the right flank.

Below, we detail why to back Wan-Bissaka to make three or more tackles at 2/1 (3.00) with Bet365, with his defensive qualities likely to be tested throughout the encounter against one of the most attack-minded teams at the tournament.

Portugal vs DR Congo World Cup 2026: Wan-Bissaka's impressive tackling history

Wan-Bissaka has been regarded as one of football's finest one-on-one defenders since his breakthrough at Crystal Palace; during the 2018-19 Premier League campaign, the right-back recorded 129 tackles in just 35 appearances, averaging 3.7 tackles per match.

Those numbers placed him among the most prolific tacklers in the division, underlining why he quickly established himself as one of the league's most difficult defenders to beat in isolation.

That defensive excellence helped earn him a £50m move to Manchester United in the summer of 2019, and Wan-Bissaka immediately demonstrated that his numbers were no fluke, having registered 130 tackles in 35 appearances, once again averaging 3.7 tackles per game in 2019-20.

While his tackling numbers at West Ham in more recent seasons have not reached those earlier heights, the context of this particular fixture is what strengthens the selection; facing one of the most attack-minded sides at the tournament should recreate precisely the conditions under which Wan-Bissaka has historically thrived.

That said, Wan-Bissaka has also become an important figure for DR Congo since switching international allegiance; the defender has featured in 12 matches for the Leopards, starting 11 of them, including six appearances during their successful World Cup qualification campaign.

The 28-year-old is expected to start as the right wing-back in a 5-3-2 system that Sebastien Desabre is widely predicted to deploy for this fixture, a role that should naturally place him in frequent defensive situations against a Portuguese left flank likely to feature either Rafael Leao or Pedro Neto, two of the most direct wingers in international football.

There is also the threat posed by Nuno Mendes, with the Paris Saint-Germain star averaging 2.1 successful dribbles per game in Ligue 1 during the 2025-26 campaign and establishing himself as one of the world's most dynamic ball-carrying full-backs.

With Mendes regularly overlapping and Portugal's left-sided attackers looking to isolate defenders, Wan-Bissaka should have no shortage of opportunities to rack up tackles.

Portugal vs DR Congo World Cup 2026: Wan-Bissaka to make 3+ tackles has value

Much of the focus heading into this fixture has understandably centred on Portugal's attacking talent, given Martinez's side scored 20 goals across six qualifying matches and arrived at the World Cup having netted at least twice in each of their last three outings before the tournament.

Bruno Fernandes is also coming off a remarkable campaign at club level, having registered 21 Premier League assists for Manchester United, breaking the record for the most assists in a single season in the competition.

Combined with the creativity of Bernardo Silva, the pace of Leao and Neto, and the finishing ability of Ronaldo, Portugal possess multiple routes to goal and should spend significant periods camped inside DR Congo's half.

That attacking quality explains why bookmakers have heavily favoured Martinez's men and why many of the popular betting selections focus on goalscorers and attacking returns, though those same expectations could create value elsewhere in the market.

If Portugal dominate possession as anticipated, DR Congo's wing-backs will be forced into repeated defensive actions throughout the contest, and few defenders are better equipped for that task than Wan-Bissaka, whose tackling numbers have remained among the strongest of any full-back over the past decade.

As such, Wan-Bissaka to make 3+ tackles at 2/1 (3.00) with Bet365 has a strong chance of landing in our eyes, making it one of the more appealing player props available for Portugal's opening World Cup fixture.