World Cup 2018: Top 5 group stage matches to look forward to

#1 Portugal vs Spain (Group B)

Moutinho and Iniesta have been everpresent in their respective national team lineups since their debuts.

Date: 15th June 2018

Venue: Fisht Stadium, Sochi

Head-to-head:

Games played: 35

Portugal wins: 6

Spain wins: 17

Drawn: 12

The teams last faced off in the semi-finals of Euro 2012 - Spain winning that one on penalties following a stalemate in normal time in Donetsk

Preview:

The dismissal of Julen Lopetegui on Wednesday sent shockwaves throughout the football world, as La Roja reacted swiftly Real Madrid's appointment a day beforehand that the 51-year-old is to become their manager later this summer. Fernando Hierro, his successor, is somewhat inexperienced at this job.

Portugal come into the tournament with a 3-0 win over Algeria. But their record hasn't been all that great. However, the fact that their fierce rivals are undergoing a period of distress should be more than encouraging.

Spain were undefeated in qualifying and scored 36 goals. Diego Costa, Isco, Alvaro Morata and David scored 5 each. Portugal hotshot Cristiano Ronaldo alone scored 15 goals as his team qualified as group B winners.

Key players:

Cristiano Ronaldo, Goncalo Guedes, Bernardo Silva (Portugal)

Isco, Sergio Ramos, Diego Costa (Spain)

Possible lineups:

Portugal(4-4-2): Patricio, Cedric, Pepe, Fonte, Guerreiro, B Silva, Carvalho, Moutinho, J Mario, A Silva/Guedes, Ronaldo

Spain(4-2-3-1): de Gea, Carvajal/Odriozola, Ramos, Pique, Alba, Busquets, Alcantara, Isco, Iniesta, Silva, Costa

Prediction: Portugal 2-3 Spain