Matchday 1 at the World Cup is not always the greatest football spectacle that you will ever hope to see. The pressure is real in the opening game for all 32 teams, and rather than going out to win, many play it safe and just try to avoid losing. It’s no real surprise then that a lot of the first games in the group stage are tense affairs with little in the way of action. The game that jumps off the page when 2018 World Cup Betting enthusiasts are looking at the calendar through the opening few days of the tournament is the one that pits Portugal against Spain in Group B.
According to MyBookie Sportsbook, these two are the favorites to move on, and it’s fair to suggest that neither team really needs a win here, especially with Morocco and Iran being the next opponents up. You get the feeling that the goal here will be to get out of this one with no injuries to report, so I am looking at a game that may potentially be played at a snail’s pace. These two may surprise us, though, by trying to go out and establish dominance in the group, so you just never know.
The biggest question for Spain heading into Russia is who will be leading the attack. This is a team that often plays what is referred to as a false nine, which means they don’t really rely on a striker, instead of allowing their midfield players to take on the attacking duties. That is likely how they will set up here.
2018 World Cup Betting Prediction: Portugal vs. Spain
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- When: Friday, June 15 at 2 PM EST
- Where: Fisht Stadium, Sochi
- TV: FOX
- Radio: TuneIn
- Live Stream: Fox Sports Go
- 2018 World Cup Betting Odds: TBA
Why bet on Portugal?
Portugal finally broke through in a major tournament when they won the European Championships in 2016. The win came as something of a surprise when you consider how poorly they performed in Brazil in 2014. They had a similar start to that World Cup as they do here, playing one of the favorites to win it all. That time around, it was Germany in Matchday 1, with Portugal going down 4-0 in that one. That proved to be a huge hole to dig out of, and it’s something that they will want to avoid against Spain, one of the most accomplished teams in this tournament. While Portugal should be able to move on comfortably from this group, they are also a team that has, in most cases, been a bit of a disappointment in major tournaments, especially the World Cup. A win here could well set the tone for the rest of the tournament.Possible Line-Up
- 1-Rui Patrício
- 3-Pepe
- 2-Bruno Alves
- 21-Cédric Soares
- 5-Raphaël Guerreiro
- 8-João Moutinho
- 14-William Carvalho
- 17-Gonçalo Guedes
- 16-Bruno Fernandes
- 11-Bernardo Silva
- 7-Cristiano Ronaldo
Why bet on Spain?
It was the end of a magical era for Spain when Vicente Del Bosque stepped down as manager. It took a little bit of time, as well as a couple of disappointing tournaments, for this team to get its swagger back, but they have it now. Like Portugal, they experienced a bit of a disaster back in 2014, losing 5-1 to Holland in the group stage, which was one of the biggest surprises in that World Cup.
The biggest question for Spain heading into Russia is who will be leading the attack. This is a team that often plays what is referred to as a false nine, which means they don’t really rely on a striker, instead of allowing their midfield players to take on the attacking duties. That is likely how they will set up here.
Possible Line-Up
- 1-David de Gea
- 15-Sergio Ramos
- 3-Piqué
- 18-Jordi Alba
- 12-Álvaro Odriozola
- 6-Andrés Iniesta
- 21-David Silva
- 5-Sergio Busquets
- 10-Thiago Alcântara
- 22-Isco
- 9-Rodrigo
