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Today at 21:45 Lithuanian time, the European Championship Group A third round match between the national teams of Spain and Portugal will take place at the "Jose Alvalade" stadium in Lisbon. These matches will not only be an Iberian derby, but if the Greeks manage to earn at least a point in the third round match against the Russians, it will also be a fight for a place in the quarterfinals of the tournament.
In the second match against Russia, Portugal looked much better than in the first match against Greece. However, there are rumors in football circles that the coach of the Portuguese national team, Luiz Felipe Scolari, may once again make changes to the well-playing lineup. It is believed that in this match, Paulo Ferreira may start from the beginning, taking Miguel's place. Meanwhile, there are doubts about Pauleta's place in the starting lineup, as this forward has failed to score a goal in the first two matches. It is also believed that Scolari, who tries not to talk about the lineup, will not be tempted to include Cristiano Ronaldo, who played well in both matches after coming on as a substitute, in the starting eleven.
On the other side, there are expected to be four changes: the coach is forced to replace Carlos Marchena with Juanito Gutierrez due to two yellow cards, and the injured Etxeberria will be replaced by the young Joaquin on the right side, who performed well in the match against Greece. These are not the only changes: Xabier Alonso will replace Ruben Baraja in the defensive midfielder position, and alongside Raul in the attack, the youngest Spanish player, Fernando Torres, will play. This means that Fernando Morientes will start the match on the bench.
Although the history is more favorable to Portugal, a victory in this match is crucial for them. The Portuguese have invested a lot of money in organizing this championship, hiring coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who became a champion in the 2002 World Cup leading Brazil.
The referee for the match will be Swedish Anders Frisk. The Spanish press has made an effort to remind readers that this referee was biased towards the hosts in the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea.
Expected starting lineups:
Spain (4-4-2): Casillas; Puyol, Helguera, Juanito, Raul Bravo; Joaquin, Albelda, Xabi Alonso, Vicente; Raul, Torres.
Portugal (4-5-1): Ricardo; Paulo Ferreira, Jorge Andrade, Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Valente; Luis Figo, Costinha, Deco, Maniche, Simao Sabrosa; Pauleta.
