Portugal vs Spain prediction, odds and review

Tuesday night at the Estadio Municipal, Portugal and Spain will face off in League A Group 2 with a position in the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League Finals on the line.

In their most recent match, Fernando Santos’ team defeated the Czech Republic 4-0, while their Iberian opponents suffered a 2-1 defeat to Switzerland, losing first place.

Not Joo Cancelo? It’s no issue for Portugal. The Manchester City player had to watch the Czech Republic match on Saturday from the naughty step, but Diogo Dalot filled in well with a brace in that 4-0 victory.

As Santos’ team provided themselves the strongest chance of reaching the Nations League Finals and, with it, the opportunity to win their second tournament championship in three years, Diogo Jota and Bruno Fernandes both registered goals.

With one game remaining, the 2018-19 champions have overtaken Spain at the top of the table with 10 points out of a possible 15. A draw would be sufficient for the Selecao to qualify to the four-team finals, but three points will still be crucial.

Spain’s victory over Switzerland would have guaranteed them the lead going into matchday five, but following a shocking 2-1 loss to the Rossocrociati at the weekend, Luis Enrique’s team is no longer in control of their own destiny.

After Manuel Akanji gave Spain the lead in the 21st minute, Jordi Alba pulled La Roja even, but Breel Embolo scored shortly after to hand the hosts their first home loss in over four years.

Enrique, who controversially started the game without a known striker while Alvaro Morata warmed the bench, was blunt in his post-game comments, saying that his team committed more mistakes over the course of the full 90 minutes than in any other Roja game he had managed.

Spain, who finished second last year, must now adopt a gung-ho strategy if they hope to go to the Nations League finals. However, Alba’s equalizer on Saturday did at least mark a streak of 19 games in which Spain had scored.