World Cup 2018: Spain vs Portugal preview

Two European heavyweights clash tonight as Spain takes on Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.

Every football fan was waiting eagerly for this tournament, waiting for a month to see their favorite stars and teams take field to contest for the holy grail in world football. Yesterday, the tournament was officially underway and what a way to kick it off with the hosts Russia blanking Saudi Arabia 5-0 to light fire to this extravaganza.

If yesterday’s match was anything to go by then today’s mouthwatering clash between the two European giants Portugal and Spain will surely be the one match to look out for. It is one of the most highly anticipated World Cup group games this year. These two teams are set to battle it out against each other when they take the pitch on Friday.

The game has had a huge build up off the pitch, with the recent hard hitting news that the Spanish Football Federation dismissed manager Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the tournament in Russia.

Nevertheless, there shall be plenty of build up on the pitch,with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, David De Gea and Andres Iniesta taking to the pitch.

Both these teams face off with one eye at the top spot at the end of the group phase. The match will be the second tie in Group B, with Morocco facing Iran earlier in the day.

RECENT FORM(last six games)

PORTUGAL: DWLDDW

Portugal come into this game with a mixed form. Last month, they earned a disappointing 0-0 draw against fellow tournament favorites Belgium before seeing of Algeria in a 3-0 victory.

SPAIN: WDDWDW

Spain ride into the tournament high on form, but the recent news of the sacking of their manager have left most of fans wondering the state of mind of the spanish players. They recently secured a slightly disappointing but still respectable 1-1 draw with Switzerland, before picking up a 1-0 win against Tunisia most recently.

HEAD TO HEAD

Portugal and Spain have met 35 times in the past with Spain leading the win tally 17-6. Last time these two teams met in the UEFA European Championship on the 27^th June 2012, Spain edged out Portugal with a nervy 4-2 penalty shootout victory after extra time.

Also read: World Cup 2018: 3 key player battles in Spain vs Portugal