Thursday 28 June 2012

Spain vs. Portugal



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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