Ahead of the match: Portugal vs Spain

Funtik the pig predicts the result of the Euro 2012 semi-final soccer match between Spain and Portugal, by choosing the food plate with Portugal flag, at the fan zone in Kiev.

Portugal meets Spain on Wednesday in the Euro 2012 semi-finals. Pressure mounts for both players and fans ahead of the match.

At the quarter-finals Portugal’s Ronaldo scored one goal knocking out the Czech republic. Spain thrashed France 2-0 to advance to the much-anticipated semi-final game. Pressure mounts for both players and fans ahead of the match.

Team News
Portugal striker Helder Postiga is ruled out with a thigh injury, meaning coach Paulo Bento will be unable to name an unchanged side for a fifth successive match.

Postiga is expected to be replaced by Besiktas forward Hugo Almeida.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque reported no new injury problems following victory against France.
However, Fernando Torres and Pedro may be in line to start following claims the Spanish camp are "drained".

Match Preview
Spain know better than most that Portugal are more than just a one-man team, even if Cristiano Ronaldo invariably hogs the headlines.

Portugal thrashed the reigning world and European champions 4-0 in their last meeting, in November 2010; Ronaldo was not amongst the scorers, and was rested in the second half, when the hosts netted three of their four goals, condemning Spain to their heaviest defeat since a 6-2 loss to Scotland in 1963.

And while the match was a friendly, the Spanish were by no means under strength - they included 10 of the side who started the World Cup final, plus David Silva.

Ronaldo was denied a memorable solo goal in the 4-0 win, finishing a jinking run with an audacious lob - only for Nani to unnecessarily head the ball in on the goal-line from an offside position.

Clearly infuriated, Ronaldo reacted by hurling the captain's armband at the turf. The 27-year-old, who has adopted a shoot-on-sight policy at Euro 2012, knows that his legacy depends on reproducing his scintillating club at international level.

The world's second greatest player has failed to score in three previous appearances against Spain, including an anonymous display at the 2010 World Cup. In contrast, his great rival Lionel Messi has netted twice in three games against the Spanish.

It seems that whatever Ronaldo does, Messi can (usually) do better - although neither player has won a major international tournament.

If Ronaldo can inspire his side to victory in their next two matches, the argument about which of them is the world's greatest may not be quite so one-sided.

Spain's ability to retain possession means they are rarely on the defensive, but they have been put on the back foot following criticism of their style, much of it from the Italian media.

La Repubblica branded the 2-0 win against France "really boring", lamenting the lack of an orthodox centre-forward. There were even a few jeers, presumably from Kiev neutrals, as the quarter-final meandered to a conclusion. Has "Tiki Taka" really morphed into "Tiki Takanaccio" - or were Spain merely conserving energy for the tougher tests that lie in wait?

Match Facts
Spain have beaten Portugal only twice in 54 years (W2, D6, L4).

This will be the 35th meeting of the sides. Portugal failed to win the first 15 encounters, eventually breaking their duck in 1948. Spain lead the overall head-to-head by 16 wins to six.

All six of Portugal's victories came on home soil.

Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo has six European Championship goals in total. Only Alan Shearer (seven) and Michel Platini (nine) have scored more in the history of the tournament.

The Portuguese have lost four of their five previous semi-finals at major tournaments, and have never won at this stage overseas. Their only win was 2-1 victory against the Netherlands on home soil at Euro 2004.

They have hit the woodwork six times at Euro 2012 - including four efforts from Ronaldo.
 

Spain
Spain will set a new record of 11 European Championship finals matches unbeaten if they avoid defeat. Their last loss in the competition was the 1-0 reverse to Portugal at Euro 2004.

The Spanish have kept eight consecutive clean sheets in knock-out games at major tournaments.

Goalkeeper Iker Casillas is unbeaten in 780 minutes (13 hours) at this stage since Zinedine Zidane's 90th-minute goal for France at the 2006 World Cup.

According to Opta, Spain have completed 2,623 passes at Euro 2012, more than twice as many as Portugal (1,159).

-BBC