Ronaldo vs Ramos in a past meeeting
Venue - Fisht Olympic Stadium, Sochi
Stadium capacity - 40,000
Odds 1- 4.2 X -3.3 2 - 2.2
Kick off - 1900hrs GMT
2100hrs EAT
Had this to come this early?
Anyway, Portugal are coming into this tournament off the back of their Euro 2016 win and are feeling good about their team's chances.
Their first pre-season game started well with an experimental starting 11 holding a strong Belgium outfit to a scoreless draw. The team was without captain Ronaldo yet still looked promising in attack, racking up 13 shots on goal despite not managing to get the ball past Chelsea keeper Thibaut Courtois. continue reading after AD
Portugal's second outing saw the team return to their Euro 2016 form in a dominating 3-0 victory against Algeria. With Rolando back in the line-up, manager Fernando Santos has a strong squad to choose from for the teams opening game against Spain
Spain on the other side were underwhelming in their two warm-up matches, managing a sluggish 1-1 draw against Switzerland before requiring an 84th-minute winner from Celta vigos' Iago Aspas to beat Tunisia.
Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo showed he is in fine form as he returned to the Portuguese side to inspire his team to a simple victory over Algeria in their final warm-up match.
Dani Carvajal has returned to training with Spain following a hamstring injury, sustained in the champions league final in Kyiev last month, but remains a doubt for the World Cup opener, with Alvaro Odriozola expected to deputise at right-back should he miss out.
Portugal have reported no injury concerns ahead of the clash. Jose Fonte and Bruno Alves are in contention to partner Pepe in the centre of defence, while either Andre Silva or Goncalo Guedes will join Ronaldo in attack.
Portugal and Spain's only previous World Cup encounter was in 2010, with Spain winning 1-0 in the round of 16 thanks to a David Villa goal.
Portugal and Spain's four encounters at major tournaments (World Cup + Euro) have produced only four goals
None of Spain's last 14 games at the World Cup have ended in a draw (W10 L4). They've lost three of their last six group games (W3), after winning each of their previous seven.
Spain had the joint-best defensive record in the 2018 European World Cup qualifiers alongside England, conceding only three goals in 10 games. They were also one of four teams to remain unbeaten - along with Belgium, England and Germany - winning nine of their 10 games.
Cristiano Ronaldo was directly involved in more goals than any other player in the 2018 European World Cup qualifiers (18), scoring 15 goals and assisting a further three. However, he has never scored against Spain (340 minutes).
view their past meetings here >>Head to Head
our pick - over 2.5 @ odds 2.3
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