Portugal vs Spain Preview

Portugal will look to take home maximum points when they host their Iberian neighbours in Braga this Tuesday.

The hosts went top of Group A2 in the UEFA Nations League last time out when they beat the Czech Republic 4-0 thanks to a brace by Diogo Dalot and further strikes by Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Jota.

And so they come into this tie with their chance of finishing top of the group and qualifying for the finals in their own hands. Having failed to make it out of their group in the last campaign, a win here, or even a draw, will be enough to see them finish top of the table.

With four draws in each of the last four H2H matches with Spain, Portugal will fancy their chances while one loss at home in the competitions history (W7, D1) should also be a confidence booster.

Spain, meanwhile, were beaten 2-1 by Switzerland in their last outing leaving them with a mountain to climb in Braga.

That loss was the visitor’s first loss since their 2-1 loss to France in last year’s UNL final (W6, D2). Their loss against the Swiss came at such a bad time for Luis Enrique’s side who are seeking to build momentum ahead of the World Cup this winter.

They will travel to Portugal desperate to right the wrongs in their shocking home loss last time out. But to get a win here, they need defencive improvements having conceded in all but one of their eight away UNL matches with that one shutout coming in their last away trip.