Spain and Portugal will open their 2022-23 UEFA Nations League campaigns with a glamour fixture at Estadio Benito Villamarin in Seville on Thursday night.

The two sides have been drawn into League A Group 2 with the Czech Republic and Switzerland, and both will play four times in the competition in the early stages of June.

Match preview

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Spain reached the final of the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, beating European champions Italy in the semi-finals of the competition, before losing 2-1 to France in Milan.

La Roja will take on Portugal, Czech Republic twice and Switzerland over the next couple of weeks, and the four fixtures will give head coach Luis Enrique a good chance to have a look at his squad, as he solidifies his plans for the 2022 World Cup.

Spain comfortably booked their spot in the finals of the 2022 competition, picking up 19 points from their eight matches to top Group B, and they will be bidding to challenge for their second World Cup crown in Qatar.

The European nation went out in the group stage of the 2014 tournament before being eliminated in the round of 16 in 2018, but they reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020 and certainly look capable of putting up a challenge at the World Cup later this year.

Spain have played two friendlies since ending their qualification section, recording a 2-1 win over Albania on March 26 before beating Iceland 5-0 three days later, and they will be bidding to make it five straight victories in all competitions on Thursday night.

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Portugal were made to go through the playoffs to book their spot at the 2022 World Cup, recording a 3-1 win over Turkey in the semi-finals before beating North Macedonia 2-0 to secure their position in the finals.

Fernando Santos's side will take on Ghana, Uruguay and South Korea in Group H later this year, and they will be expected to reach the knockout rounds of the competition.

Portugal have actually been eliminated in the round of 16 in two of their last three World Cups, losing to Uruguay in 2018, and their best finish remains third at the 1966 competition.

A Selecao will take on Spain, Switzerland twice and Czech Republic in the UEFA Nations League over the next couple of weeks, and Santos will also be using the fixtures to prepare for the World Cup.

Portugal and Spain have played out goalless draws in their last two meetings, both friendlies, in October 2020 and June 2021 respectively, with their last competitive meeting occurring at the 2018 World Cup - the pair playing out a pulsating 3-3 draw in the group stage of the competition.

Team News

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Spain will be without the services of Aymeric Laporte, with the Manchester City centre-back pulling out of the squad due to a knee problem, while Barcelona's Pedri is also a notable absentee through injury.

There is still no David de Gea, with Unai Simon very much the number one goalkeeper at this moment in time, with Robert Sanchez and David Raya picked to support the Athletic Bilbao stopper.

Eric Garcia could play alongside Pau Torres in the middle of the defence, while Thiago is likely to feature despite his involvement in the Champions League final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Gavi could play in an advanced area alongside Barcelona teammate Ferran Torres, while Alvaro Morata, who is comfortably the leading goalscorer in the squad with 25, should lead the line.

As for Portugal, Man City's Ruben Dias is out through injury, so Danilo is again likely to feature alongside Pepe in the middle of the defence.

There are not expected to be many major surprises in the away side's starting XI, with Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva likely to be joined by Joao Moutinho in midfield.

Meanwhile, Diogo Jota should start despite being involved in the Champions League final, while Cristiano Ronaldo will lead the line on his 187th appearance for the national team.

There is another spot open in the final third of the field, and a number of players are in contention to play off the right, but Porto's Otavio could ultimately get the nod.

Spain possible starting lineup:
Simon; Azpilicueta, E Garcia, P Torres, Alba; Thiago, Busquets, Koke; Gavi, Morata, F Torres

Portugal possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Cancelo, Pepe, Danilo, Guerreiro; Fernandes, Moutinho, Bernardo; Otavio, Ronaldo, Jota

We say: Spain 1-1 Portugal

This has all of the makings of a brilliant game of football, and it will be interesting to see how both sides are shaping up ahead of the World Cup. It would not be a surprise to see a home or an away win here, but we have a feeling that a tight fixture could end with the points being shared.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Matt Law

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