At the start of the week it would have been hard to look beyond anything other than a Spain victory in Friday’s Iberian derby against Euro 2016 winners Portugal.
Spain were considered among the pre-tournament favourites up until 48 hours ago but now there is a cloud of uncertainty about the team following Julen Lopetegui’s shock departure on Wednesday.
Few would doubt Spain’s credentials for the trophy but it remains to be seen how they will respond to the upheaval on the eve of their first game. The odds of them not only winning the tournament, but also Friday’s game against Portugal, have lengthened marginally.
If you believe Portugal will heap further misery on Spain, then Sky Bet have priced them as high as 3.3 to win on Friday, though that would still be a surprise.
It’s worth noting that, despite the quality of both nations, their four previous encounters at major tournaments have only produced four goals.
With that in mind, expect a low-scoring affair between two countries that understand the consequences of defeat in this match. The winner of this encounter will likely go on to top the group, while the loser will have to battle for second with Morocco.
Spain are still the favourites despite changing their manager and they are unbeaten since crashing out of Euro 2016. Four of their last seven matches have seen under 2.5 goals, which would further strengthen the idea their encounter with Portugal will be tight.
Unibet are offering odds of 2.8 for Spain to beat Portugal and for there to be under 2.5 goals in the match. These should be considered if you are looking to make some money on Friday night.
