Preview: Portugal vs Spain - prediction, team news, lineups

Portugal and Spain will battle for UEFA Nations League supremacy when the Iberian neighbours go head-to-head in Munich in the final on Sunday night.

Both nations will be seeking to win the competition for a second time, with Spain favourites to retain the title, while inaugural winners Portugal will look to upset the odds again.

Match preview

Starting the finals as the outsiders, Portugal have already defied the odds to get this far, beating Germany at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday, coming from a goal down to win in dramatic fashion.

Francisco Conceicao’s stunning strike and a winner from Cristiano Ronaldo saw Portugal earn their first victory over Germany for a quarter of a century, and it now sets them up with the opportunity to become the first nation to win the Nations League twice, after first doing so in 2019.

Roberto Martinez’s men almost did not even make it this far, though, needing a late Francisco Trincao goal to force extra time in their quarter-final against Denmark, before getting over the line in the additional period.

The Portugal manager was under pressure after a disappointing Euros campaign that provided minimal promise, before a quarter-final exit to France.

Winning this competition should get the public back on side, and will serve as great preparation ahead of their World Cup qualifying campaign that gets underway in September, and will pit them against Hungary, Ireland and Armenia.

There is much excitement around two players in particular, and that is the first meeting of Ronaldo and Spain’s Lamine Yamal, with the two talismanic figures on either side being separated by 23 years.

Yamal was not even 18 months old when Ronaldo won his first Ballon d’Or, but that is the honour the young Spaniard is chasing, especially after another special performance in the semi-final win over France.

The 17-year-old scored twice as La Roja beat France 5-4 in a Stuttgart stunner, and after losing the 2021 final to France, Spain now have the chance to retain the competition, following the win over Croatia in 2023’s final.

Manager Luis de la Fuente appears to be taking inspiration from La Liga champions Barcelona, as his side have now scored 23 goals in their nine Nations League matches in 2024-25, after also putting six past the Netherlands over two legs in the quarter-finals.

Despite almost throwing a four-goal lead away against France, Spain are still a complete team, shown by the fact they have not lost a competitive fixture since the defeat away to Scotland in March 2023, and while they are favourites to win this final, they should also be favourites for next summer’s World Cup.

Turkey, Georgia and Bulgaria stand in their way of a place at the finals, but there is slim chance any of those nations will be able to compete with this Spain side, which is threatening to emulate the legendary squad of 2008-2012, who completed a three-peat of major honours.

Portugal UEFA Nations League form:

D W D L W W

Spain UEFA Nations League form:

W W W D W W

Team News

Ronaldo silenced many critics by netting the winner on his 220th Portugal appearance on Wednesday, and there is no doubt that he will lead the line for Martinez’s men this weekend.

There were many surprises in the Portugal team that started the semi-final, though, and Martinez was forced to make wholesale changes early into the second half, such as subbing off makeshift right-back Joao Neves, and introducing his Paris Saint-Germain team mate Vitinha.

Conceicao’s impact from the bench should earn him a start, so Trincao or Pedro Neto could drop out, while Ruben Neves is unlikely to be in the starting XI again, after being dragged off before the hour on Wednesday.

There was no place in the Spain side for captain Alvaro Morata on Thursday, as De la Fuente opted to use Mikel Oyarzabal as a false nine to great effect, as he registered two first-half assists.

Fabian Ruiz could come into the midfield after only starting on the bench in Stuttgart following his Champions League-winning escapes last weekend, while Rodri has not been risked following his return from an ACL injury.

Even though Spain dazzled in attack, their inexperienced defence looked overawed towards the end during France’s fightback, with Pedro Porro and Dean Huijsen in particular looking rather uncomfortable, while Dani Vivian came off the bench and scored an own goal.

Portugal possible starting lineup:

Costa; Dalot, Dias, Inacio, Mendes; J. Neves, Vitinha, Bernardo; Conceicao, Ronaldo, Fernandes

Spain possible starting lineup:

Simon; Porro, Le Normand, Huijsen, Cucurella; Merino, Fabian, Pedri; Yamal, Oyarzabal, Williams

We say: Portugal 1-2 Spain

This Spain team looks unstoppable at present, especially with two of the most dangerous wide players in world football, and the constant threat they provide could be the deciding factor in Munich.

Portugal’s squad as a whole is arguably stronger, given their strength in depth, but they have not quite got that killer instinct and the match-winners, apart from an ageing Ronaldo, that their opponents do, and that could be their downfall in this final.

Written by
Andrew Delaney

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