After a grand start in the opening day of the tournament, Group B matches are scheduled to be played on the 2nd day of the competition. Portugal is all ready to meet their Iberian rivals Spain at the Olympiyskiy Stadium, Fisht. In their last encounter of Portugal vs Spain, the game ended in a draw and Spain eventually won the match after a penalty shootout (2-4).
As the European Champions Portugal is fully confident about the match, Spain is having turmoil with their manager alteration. It was pretty unexpected from Spain as they sack their manager, Julen Lopetogui just before the start of the world cup.
Portugal vs. Spain: Team News
The Spanish side is all ready to hit the pitch with almost 100% fitness in their squad. Though Carvahal’s fitness is not perfectly fine as he might miss the opening match of group B. On the other, Portugal is playing with their opening XI combination, as they have pretty well managed their last friendly encounter against Algeria (3-0) with Guedes and Bruno Fernandez playing in the opening XI. Spain is most likely to follow their traditional formation 4-3-3 while facing the European giants Portugal.
However, Portuguese coach might start the starting line-up with Andre Silva, the Milan Forward, beside today’s star to watch out for, Christiano Ronaldo. If this is the scenario, then Guedues will be sitting on the bench after the kick off in Portugal vs Spain.
Possible Playing XI for Spain: De Gea; Pique, Odriozola, Ramos; Koke, Alba, Busquets; Iniesta, Isco, Silva, Costa. (Carvahal on the bench, replaced by Right back Odriozola.)
Possible Playing XI for Portugal: Patricio, Pepe, Cedric, Guerreiro, B.Alves; B.Silva, Carvalho Joao Mario, B.Fernandes, Ronaldo; A.Silva
Portugal vs. Spain: Match Details
Where: Olympiyskiy Stadium, Fisht.
When: 7 pm BST; 11:30 pm IST.
Key Players to Watch out For: Christiano Ronaldo is no doubt the key player for the Portuguese side while they play against Spain.
While on the other hand, Spain is also having some of the stars like Andres Iniesta, Isko, and Asensio, and it will be a real treat to watch them playing against the European Champions Portugal.
After seeing all the factors involved in this Portugal vs Spain, it can be said that Spain will be the favorite after the kick-off. However, Portugal does have their capabilities to crush Spain in their opening encounter. Whatever be the result is, Portugal vs Spain is the first breathtaking match of this year’s World Cup.
