Spain vs Portugal Preview – Round of 16

Portugal and Spain hope to finally make some noise on world stage

There’s no doubt second-ranked Spain and third-ranked Portugal are two of the best football teams in the world at the moment, but neither of them have ever really made their mark on the game when it comes to the World Cup. Unfortunately, for one of them, that trend is going to continue again this year as the two neighbouring countries from the Iberian Peninsula are set to square off in a knockout match at Green Point Stadium in Cape Town on June 29.

Neither team clinched a playoff spot until their third group game and neither really played up to par. Portugal’s record looked good on paper as they scored seven goals and didn’t let any in. However, they banged them all in during one game when they ran riot 7-0 over North Korea in their second game. They were held to uninspired 0-0 draws in their opener with Ivory Coast and their last match against Brazil and finished second place in Group G with five points.

Spain suffered a 1-0 loss to Switzerland in their first match and then beat Honduras 2-0 and a 10-man Chile 2-1. However, one more goal by the Chileans would have sent Spain packing for a trip home. The Spanish ended up topping Group H by scoring more goals than Chile.

Portugal’s midfield playmaker Deco missed the last two games and he’ll be a huge help to the Portuguese cause if he can return in time for this match. However, his replacement, Tiago, has played well and leads the team with two goals. Spanish midfielder Xabi Alonso limped out of their game against Chile in the 73rd minute with a sprained ankle, but it’s believed he’ll be ready to play.

Cristiano Ronaldo finally got the monkey off his back with a goal against the Koreans, his first in 16 months for the national side, but hasn’t lived up to his reputation as one of the world’s top scorers so far in the tournament. To be effective for his team, Ronaldo needs to stay on his feet and play the whistle. Instead, he’s been standing around in the middle of the pitch waving his arms and complaining at referees every time he’s tackled. He needs to focus on the task at hand and nothing else.

Spain’s answer to Ronaldo is striker Fernando Torres, and he hasn’t looked much better. He hasn’t had many chances and has yet to score. David Villa has been Spain’s savior so far with three of the team’s four goals. He also had a penalty saved against Honduras.

The two teams have played each other a total of 32 times with Spain winning 15, losing five and drawing 12. They have outscored the Portuguese 71 to 37 in those matches.

Spain v Portugal Odds and Predictions

Portugal has the talent to beat Spain in this contest, but it’s unsure if they have the will. The Portuguese look to be stronger in their own end and are used to posting clean sheets lately. If they dictate the pace and utilize their offensive skills, they should be able to come out of this game with a 1-0 victory and advance to the quarterfinals.

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Spain is favoured to win the game at Ladbrokes with the odds of them winning being posted at 11/10. Portugal to win is posted at 59/20 and the odds of a draw after 90 minutes are 21/10.

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