Spain vs Portugal – Match Preview
Show Some Balls this World Cup at centrebet.com
Spain will pit itself against its strong neighbouring rival in Portugal in their Round of 16 encounter at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town tonight.
After Spain opened its account with a disastrous 1-0 defeat to Switzerland, La Roja got its FIFA World Cup campaign back on track with commanding victories over Honduras and Chile to top Group H with six points.
However, Spain’s performances in the tournament so far have come under scrutiny, with Vicente Del Bosque’s men receiving heavy criticism from sections in the media for lacking that killer instinct in front of goal.
Indeed, Fernando Torres has been at the heart of the criticism, as the Liverpool marksman continues to endure a frustrating time at the FIFA World Cup squandering opportunities on more than one occasion for the Spanish.
As for Portugal, its quest for World Cup glory has been filled with paradoxical performances thus far in South Africa; but the West Iberians have generated enough belief to suggest that they rate themselves to beat their rivals for just the second time at a major tournament.
Although it thumped North Korea, 7-0, earlier in the competition, Portugal has also had problems in front of goal, stumbling to two 0-0 draws with Brazil and the Ivory Coast.
However, the Portuguese finished second in Group G behind Brazil, and have been far from disgraced in the group stages boasting a top-class goalkeeper in Eduardo and a resolute back four in defence that has not conceded one goal in the main event so far.
The all-Iberian clash features some of the world’s very best footballers in David Villa, Andrés Iniesta and Cristiano Ronaldo; and with one of the strongest rivalries in European football set to rekindle in neutral territory, this match has all the makings of becoming a FIFA World Cup classic.
Kick-off commences at 04:30 (AEST) on Wednesday 30 June.
Show Some Balls this World Cup at centrebet.com
Leave your response!