The Iberian derby reaches its 40th chapter on Tuesday and this time the stakes are very high for both Portugal and Spain. The two neighbors are looking to qualify for the Nations League finals.
The last five Iberian derbies have all been draws with very limited scoring and Bookmaker William Hill has the odds at 1.70 for under 2.5 goals on Tuesday. The odds for under 1.5 goals are available at 3.00.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: September 26th, 8:00 A.M. (EST)
The two teams played out a 1-1 draw in the first meeting of this year’s Nations League and there was also an incredible 3-3 draw at the 2018 World Cup, but all of the other recent clashes have ended 0-0. It’s a result that would suit Portugal on Tuesday as they sit at the top of Group 2 with a two-point advantage over Spain.
Portugal needed the playoffs to get through to the World Cup, but the team has quickly improved its form and performed very well during the Nations League campaign. Ronaldo & Co. have three wins on the board with 11 goals scored in five games. Four goals came on Saturday in a very impressive 4-0 away win over the Czech Republic.
Following their exploits in Central Europe, Portugal will now go for their eighth win in nine home outings. It’s very hard to beat the 2016 European champions at their place, but that’s exactly what Spain must do in order to continue their Nations League campaign.
The Spaniards had a great chance to hold the upper hand in the match-up themselves as they hosted Switzerland on Saturday, but Luis Enrique’s men ended up producing a very uninspired performance and a 2-1 defeat has left the team in a must-win situation.
Spain have a good away record with four wins and a draw across their last five road outings, but they haven’t faced Cristiano Ronaldo during the stretch. He’s averaged a goal per game in his past nine home appearances for Portugal. Ronaldo’s only goals in eight meetings against Spain came with a hat trick in the famous 3-3 draw and he will be eager to improve his strike rate on Tuesday.
La Roja boasts great head-to-head results against Portugal with 16 wins to six, but there have been just five wins in the previous 18 away matches and four of the victories came during the first five trips back in the ’20s and ’30s. The poor record would make success on Tuesday taste even sweeter.
