Spain v Portugal: The battle between the two Silvas
By James Fudge
They may share the same changing room for most of the year but Manchester City’s David Silva and Bernardo Silva will be walking into different rooms to change into their respective kits tonight.
City fans will be intrigued to see which creative playmaker will come out on top should both of them feature. Will it be fan favourite, David Silva, or their new wide player, Bernardo Silva? A share of the points is also possible.
Spain and Portugal will open their campaigns against each other at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi as the victor of this fixture will likely go on to top Group B.
There is no need to hype the Iberian Derby up anymore. Well, it is possible, as a number of intriguing clashes will be taking place on the field.
Cristiano Ronaldo against Sergio Ramos, Silva versus Silva, Diego Costa facing Pepe and Wiliam Carvalho battling with Isco, is good enough to grace the knockout stages, not just the group stages. There will be many more clashes on the field depending on the starting line-ups.
To add a little spice to the preview to Friday night’s game was the shock press conference from the Spanish Football Federation yesterday after Real Madrid confirmed they had poached their boss, who has failed to lose a game with Spain.
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It remains to be seen whether the decision to sack Julen Lopetegui 48 hours before their first game will impact the team and the manager. Fernando Hierro replaced him and his involvement in Spanish football may prove to be an easy transition and a great replacement.
The starting eleven that Hierro will choose is an unknown however, David Silva featured in the starting eleven of the last two warm-up fixtures against Switzerland and Tunisia. If the former Real Madrid centre-back goes with consistency then Silva will be in the starting line-up against their European counterparts.
Opponent Bernardo Silva believes the technical ability of the Spanish will be enough to remain a threat and the favourites ahead of the game, irrespective of their management issues.
"“To win against Spain we need to be strong mentally, Cristiano Ronaldo needs to be at his best and [we need] a bit of luck.” – Bernardo Silva."
One thing for certain is that Cristiano Ronaldo will be starting. The striker comes into the game in great form after going on an impressive scoring record in the second half of the season, leading Real Madrid to their fourth Champions League win in the last five years.
Fernando Santos will likely to put the Manchester City wide man and Gonçalo Guedes in support of their captain. Two creative midfielders to play on either flank to supply their talisman the chances to lead Portugal to glory. The nation will be hoping to replicate their Euro 2016 success with their new and technically improved attacking force now looking to dominate world football.