2010 FIFA World Cup – Spain vs. Portugal Picks & Predictions
The final game in the Round of 16 of the 2010 World Cup takes place Tuesday at 2:30PM ET when Spain faces Portugal.
Spain was the winner of Group H while Portugal was the runner-up in Group G.
Oddsmakers from online sports book Sports Interaction have made Spain the favorites to win with an even betting line while Portugal comes in at +285. A regulation draw has a money line of +220.
Spain entered the World Cup as the favorites to win it all but a 1-0 loss to Switzerland to start the tournament gave the country a wake-up call and since Spain has won its last two. It’s 2-1 win over Chile wasn’t overly thrilling but it still did enough to get the job done. Spain will have to play a solid defense game against Portugal, which has the potential to score many goals.
Portugal has yet to lose, but its stats are inflated by a 7-0 win over lowly North Korea. Aside from that win, Portugal had two scoreless ties. While it kept Brazil from scoring, the Brazilians had little to nothing to play for. In this game, Portugal will have to find a way to score and play even better defense against Spain.
This game should be competitive and could come down to just one goal deciding it all. Both are sound defensively but we feel Spain is the better team and more consistent. Look for the Spaniards to lock in on Cristiano Ronaldo and dictate the pace before finding a late goal to win 1-0.
Our World Cup Free Pick for this matchup is: SPAIN EVEN and UNDER 2.5
World Cup Match Results
SPAIN
Loss to Switzerland, 1-0 on June 16
Win over Honduras, 2-0 on June 21
Win over Chile, 2-1 on June 25
PORTUGAL
Draw with Ivory Coast, 0-0 on June 15
Win over North Korea, 7-0 on June 21
Draw with Brazil, 0-0 on June 25
World Cup Player Stats
SPAIN
David Villa – 3 goals
Andres Iniesta – 1 goal
PORTUGAL
Tiago – 2 goals
Raul Meireles – 1 goal
Simao – 1 goal
Cristiano Ronaldo – 1 goal
Liedson – 1 goal
Hugo Almeida – 1 goal
World Cup Odds
Spain even Over 2.5
Portugal +285 Under 2.5
Draw +220
*If game is tied after regulation Draw pays out. Team payouts must be on regulation victory