World Cup: Neighbours Spain and Portugal face off in Arlington
| Lars Baron/Getty Images) |
The most-anticipated Round of 16 clash is about to kickoff in Arlington, Texas, as Spain and Portugal lock horns. The neighbours last met at the World Cup in the six-goal thriller back in 2018, where Cristiano Ronaldo scored his first (and so far) only hat-trick of the competition.
The 41-year-old attacker also scored the winner when Portugal beat Lamine Yamal's Spain in last summer's UEFA Nations League final. As expected, Ronaldo and Yamal are in the starting lineups of their respective national teams.
Former Bundesliga loanees Renato Veiga and João Cancelo maintain their starting berths in Roberto Martinez's side, while Dani Olmo is picked by Luis de la Fuente. Alejandro Grimaldo, who completed his move from Bayer Leverkusen to Atlético Madrid, is still waiting for his first minutes of the tournament.
Confirmed Spain vs. Portugal Lineups
Spain: Simon; Cucurella, Laporte, Cubarsi, Porro; Rodri ©, Pedri; Baena, Olmo, Yamal; Oyarzabal
Portugal: Costa; Mendes, Veiga, Dias, Cancelo; Vitinha, Neves; Joao Felix, Bruno, Neto; Cristiano Ronaldo ©
