Portugal vs Spain Free World Cup Picks and Group B Odds

by Josh Schonwald - 6/6/2018

World Cup Group B

Friday, June 15, 2018

Fisht Stadium

Portugal will play at Fisht Stadium when they take on Spain on Friday, June 15, 2018 in a Group B matchup. The opening line for this game has Portugal at +340 and Spain at -106. The total has been set at 2.5. This should be one of the most entertaining and talent-filled matches of the group stages. Both nations have the potential to hoist the trophy at the end of the tournament, but it's these early games that will give fans an idea of how hungry they are. Spain will come into the game as favorites, but recently history between these powerhouses tells us that Portugal will not be intimidated.

Portugal

Despite winning Euro 2016, many people don't see Portugal as a legit contender in this year's World Cup. That's pretty surprising considering that the roster seems even better than it was two years and they should have a healthy Ronaldo to work his magic in these games. Portugal easily got through their qualification games, though they have struggled a bit in recent friendlies, picking up just one win from their five games leading up to the World Cup. Portugal comes into the tournament ranked fourth in the world. Coach Fernando Santos has been with the team for four years now and has done a good job of making their defense better while building around Ronaldo up front.

Cristiano Ronaldo

As always, Portugal will be relying heavily on Ronaldo to score goals and to rattle the opposition. The 33-year-old superstar has 81 goals in 149 appearances for his country and he impressively scored 15 goals in just nine World Cup qualification games.

Bernardo Silva

Silva had a slow start to his Manchester City career, but by the end of this past season he showed that he is a well-rounded forward player. He can score from odd angles and he is always looking to get his teammates involved.

Spain

Many of these same players were on the team that wasn't able to get out of the group stage back in 2014. They also struggled a bit at Euro 2016, but since then they have gone 19 games without a loss. They have a very strong defense, a couple of elite strikers, and plenty of creativity in between. They should easily make it to the next round, but they will want to show up in these games versus Portugal to prove they are a better team than we saw at the last couple of big tourneys. Because of those recent embarrassments, Spain has dropped down to eighth in the latest FIFA rankings. Coach Julen Lopetegui has done a good job since taking over in 2016, going 13-6-0.

David de Gea

Many see de Gea as being the best keeper in the world. He will be a spectator in some of these group matches, but to go far Spain will need him to pull off some of his patented ridiculous saves.

Andres Iniesta

In what may be his last World Cup, the 34-year-old magician will be looking to add one more major trophy to his case. He's not quite as quick as he once was, but he can pick out passes that most others can't and he still works harder than most other players on the pitch.

Key Portugal Injuries

No key injuries to report

Key Spain Injuries

No key injuries to report

Who will win tonight's Portugal/Spain World Cup game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take Portugal +340

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Portugal vs Spain Group B World Cup Picks & Predictions 6/15/2018

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