Iberian rivals Spain and Portugal
meet once again in major tournament competition, following their clash
in the 2010 World Cup. While Spain were the winners on that night,
knocking Portugal out of the competition with a 1-0 win, it is the
Portugese who have the last laugh in head-to-head match-ups with a 4-0 win in a friendly in November of 2010.
Both
sides are on a 3 match winning streak in this competition after
beginning the tournament with a rocky start. Strikers have been both
teams’ achilles heel in this competition, with Spanish coach Del Bosque still caught in a dilemma
over who to start up front while Paulo Bento has had his choices cut
down following the injury to Postiga. Spain are expected to field Torres
over Fabregas this time around while Portugal will count on the
services of Besiktas striker Hugo Almeida.
While
the defending world and European champions are firm favorites against
their neighbors, Ronaldo’s three goals in the last two matches suggests
anything could happen on Wednesday night. There is also a bit of a Real Madrid vs Barcelona vibe going into this one with Portugal playing the part of Real Madrid with Pepe, Ronaldo, and Coentrao all starting regularly for the club.
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