Spain and Portugal will contest the first major clash of the 2018 World Cup when they go head-to-head in Group B on Friday.
Before that, Uruguay and Egypt will face off to complete the first round of matches in Group A, after hosts Russia opened the tournament with a 5-0 victory over Saudi Arabia on Thursday.
Here are the standings in Group A following that match:
Iran and Morocco will then kick things off in Group B before La Roja take on the European champions in the Friday's headline game.
Here are the score predictions for Friday's clashes:
- Egypt vs. Uruguay (1-2)
- Morocco vs. Iran (1-0)
- Portugal vs. Spain (1-1)
Morocco vs. Iran
Morocco might not leap out as a team to keep an eye on in the group stage, but given some of the players at their disposal, they are worth watching.
The majority of their players ply their trade in Europe—some at a high level.
Juventus centre-back Medhi Benatia is their most well-known star. Along with Real Madrid right-back Achraf Hakimi, he'll play a key role in the Atlas Lions defence.
In midfield, look out for Ajax playmaker Hakim Ziyech, who racked up nine goals and 18 assists in all competitions last season.
He has eight goals in 17 appearances for Morocco, and he will be central to their attacking play. He was heavily involved in the final third for Ajax, per OptaJohan:
Sports writer Jonas Giaever is an admirer, and he also picked out Ayoub El Kaabi as another of their biggest threats:
Morocco are managed by Herve Renard—who won the Africa Cup of Nations with Zambia and Ivory Coast—and his pedigree as an international manager should stand them in good stead.
By contrast, their opponents Iran have little recognisable quality to call upon.
Morocco did not concede a goal in six qualifying matches, so it will be difficult for Iran to pose them significant problems here.
Portugal vs. Spain
Spain's most recent appearance at the World Cup did not exactly go to plan. La Roja arrived in Brazil as world champions in 2014, and they were also back-to-back European champions at the time, but they did not make it past the group stage.
They were somewhat better at UEFA Euro 2016, though they were defeated in the last 16 by Antonio Conte's Italy.
Under manager Julen Lopetegui, Spain looked back on track ahead of this summer's tournament. ESPN FC's Dermot Corrigan was impressed by their performance in their 1-1 draw with Germany in March:
La Roja followed that up with another reminder of their capabilities: a remarkable 6-1 friendly win over Argentina.
Lopetegui is no longer in charge, though, having been relieved of his duties on Wednesday following his appointment as Real Madrid boss. Football writer Liam Canning spoke for all of us with his reaction:
As for Portugal, they are the European champions, but having largely stumbled and scraped through to that success in 2016, they are not considered one of the top contenders in Russia.
Football writer Tom Kundert and beIN Sports' Matteo Bonetti were impressed with them in their final warm-up game, though, as they beat Algeria 3-0:
The likes of Goncalo Guedes and Bruno Fernandes give the side more varied attacking and creative threats than just Cristiano Ronaldo, and if everything clicks, they could do well at the World Cup.
They are notoriously slow starters, though, having not won their opening match at an international tournament since 2008.
If they are not quick out of the blocks on Friday, Spain have more than enough quality to at least get a draw, even with the disruption during their preparations.
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