UNL: Spain vs. Portugal Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Iberian peninsula derby between Portugal and Spain takes place on Tuesday night, at Estadio Municipal de Braga. These two sides meet in the final round of the UEFA Nations League and are going to decide about the top place in their assembly. The hosts are in a better situation, having 10 points in five games, two more than the Spanish unit, who lost the last match thus, giving the pole position to their big rivals. The Red Fury now has to win in order to continue the pursuit of the trophy.

Preview

Portugal (+130) rolled over the Czech Republic on the road, beating the hosts, 0-4. The home goalkeeper broke Cristiano Ronaldo’s nose, and we saw one of the all-time greats bleeding all over the field early on. Though, that didn’t stop him from recording an assist and finishing the game.

It infuriated his teammates, who would then seize control on the field, breaking the Czech’s defense into pieces. Dalot scored two goals, Diogo Jota one, as well as Bruno Fernandes.

This was the third time in the past four games to see the Portuguese back line keeping its net intact, and it appears that Selecao slowly increases its form before the World Cup in Qatar.

Spain (+200) lost in the worst possible moment. To make it even worse for them, they suffered a failure at home against Switzerland, 1-2. They were behind 0-1, then managed to level the score, yet the guests got the edge back very quickly afterward.

The Spaniards sometimes play dull football, taking away the ball from the rivals and keeping it in its possession for several minutes, passing back and forth until the fans fall asleep.

In the past five games on the road, this unit posted sold results, winning four events, and recording a draw, which was in Prague, where the Czech Republic snapped a point from them following a 2-2 draw. In three of those games, the Spaniards kept their sheets clean.

Latest News

The most important thing for the fans here is that Cristiano Ronaldo feels OK, and that Manchester United’s superstar won’t skip the game. He is expected to be in the starting lineup.

As for the Spaniards, they are all ready for this contest.

Head to Head Games

The first meeting was in the opening round of the UEFA Nations League, and Portugal stayed unbeaten on the road in Spain, 1-1. Previously, we saw two friendly international matchups in 2020 and 2021, both of them ending without goals.

Prediction

The hosts won’t attack, regardless of the fact that they have a home-court edge. Portugal is much too experienced to allow Spain the chance to hit them due to the lack of players in the back line. Instead, a hard block on the midfield and pacey players upfront will slow down the Spanish attacks with aggressiveness, hoping to get the ball and hit the rivals on the break.

We are predicting two goals at most in this event, because of the circumstances and the nature of both teams involved. The odds are currently at -120, and that is just fine.

Pick: Under 2.5 goals -120