The ‘Iberian derby’ between Spain and Portugal is one of the oldest national football rivalries and will kickstart their campaigns in one of the youngest UEFA tournaments – the UEFA Nations League (UNL). Runners-up in the last UNL edition and one of the favourites to win the upcoming FIFA World Cup, Spain will hope to build momentum as they target five consecutive wins for the first time since September 2019.

A slight H2H hiccup that manager Luis Enrique will be keen to address is four straight draws inside 90 minutes in this fixture, including three goalless stalemates. While that doesn’t raise hopes of a high-scoring affair, the passionate home fans are likely to spur on the Spaniards who have only lost one game at home in the UNL (W4, L1), with three of the wins coming by at least a four-goal margin.

Champions in the inaugural UNL edition, Portugal are unlikely to dole out any favours though, as coach Fernando Santos hinted that “we are going into it to win it.” Having had to negotiate the playoffs to book their spot at the World Cup, this could be a tricky game for the Portuguese who haven’t won a competitive H2H since June 2004 and have never won away against Spain.

Portugal do have an enviable record in this competition however, with their solitary defeat in their 12 all-time UNL games (W8, D3, L1) hinting at another close encounter and the possibility of another draw in this matchup. Hostile environments haven’t deterred Portugal recently, with the side boasting an unbeaten away record in this competition (W3, D2) with both draws ending goalless!

Players to watch: Álvaro Morata turns up early when in Spanish colours, scoring their opening goal in seven of his last eight scoring games. After a trophyless domestic season with Manchester United, Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo will look to unwind against Spain having netted a hat-trick when these sides last met in a competitive match.

Hot stat: Spain have kept their opponents quiet during the first half in 16 of their last 18 matches.

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