Portugal v Spain Nations League Final: Wing wizards can make the difference | OneFootball

The Allianz Arena will host the 2025 Nations League Final

Iberian rivals Portugal and Spain face off in Munich, with both looking for their second Nations League triumph. Kevin Hatchard secured two winners from two tips ahead of Portugal v Germany, and has picked out a couple of pro-Spain selections...

Portugal v SpainSunday 08 June, 20:00Live on ITV1

Under-fire Martinez boosted by Germany victory

If anyone needed Portugal to beat Germany for the first time in a quarter of a century, it was Selecao boss Roberto Martinez. After an underwhelming European Championship last summer, the Spaniard was under pressure, and there is continuing talk that Jorge Jesus or Jose Mourinho could be installed ahead of the push for the 2026 World Cup.

Martinez has come out fighting, bemoaning the criticism he has received despite a 100% record in Euro qualifying. After the 2-1 comeback win against Germany he spoke of the squad growing in depth and showing a strong mentality to recover after an underwhelming first half.

Recent Champions League winner Vitinha was predictably excellent in the second half, controlling midfield, while Cristiano Ronaldo netted his 137th international goal in his 220th appearance, both astonishing world records. For better or worse, Martinez has hitched his wagon to Ronaldo, and while that failed spectacularly at Euro 2024, the 40-year-old can still score at this level.

Francisco Conceicao was outstanding after coming on, and scored a magnificent equaliser from range. Indeed, the Juventus winger could have emulated his father Sergio's efforts from 25 years ago by scoring multiple goals against Germany, but he fired a shot wide and drew a remarkable point-blank save from Marc Andre ter Stegen. An interesting selection by Martinez was the deployment of PSG midfielder Joao Neves as a right-back, with the pocket rocket regularly stepping into midfield.

Portugal won the first edition of this tournament in 2019, and winning it again would reinforce the idea that the team is on the right track ahead of the World Cup. Martinez hailed the Germany victory as a team effort, and it certainly didn't feel like a side that has given up on its coach.

Vitinha is likely to start here after an outstanding cameo on Wednesday, while Conceicao could get the nod ahead of Trincao on the right. Martinez must decide whether playing Joao Neves at right-back is too much of a risk against an opponent like Nico Williams.

Spain aren't just entertainers, they are winners too

Although a ragged, self-indulgent slowdown at end of Thursday's 5-4 semi-final win over France nearly cost Spain dearly, it's worth remembering that at one stage they were 4-0 and 5-1 up against one of Europe's strongest sides. They played their now familiar brand of front-foot football - pace, skill and personality all wrapped up in a tasty parcel.

Leading the charge was the absurdly gifted Lamine Yamal, a titan of the sport already at 17. When we talk about young players we often refer to potential, but he is already one of the most effective players on the planet. He comes alive in the biggest games - note his stunning goal against France in the Euro 2024 semi, or his phenomenal pass for Ferran Torres' late equaliser in this season's Copa del Rey final against Real Madrid.

Spain are far from perfect in the sense that they give up plenty of chances and rarely keep a clean sheet. Their Nations League quarter-final against the Netherlands was an incredible ten-goal rollercoaster, with Luis de la Fuente's men squeezing through on penalties.

But Spain also won the last edition of the Nations League via spot-kicks, edging out Croatia, and this is perhaps the most pertinent point about this generation of La Roja. They are young, but they are also battle-hardened winners. If Spain succeed on Sunday, they will have won three major tournaments already under their former Under-21 boss, with a World Cup up for grabs next year.

Yamal and Williams to sparkle again

The opportunity to back Lamine Yamal to score or assist here at evens on the Sportsbook is an exciting one. He has produced a goal contribution in 10 of his 16 starts for Spain, which is a phenomenal body of work. Against France he scored twice, once from the penalty spot and an improvised finish.

For Barcelona, Yamal delivered nine goals and 13 assists in La Liga, and he delivered eight goal contributions across 13 Champions League matches. If Spain are to win this, the boy from Rocafonda will surely be at the heart of their success.

Another angle is to use the Bet Builder to back Spain to win the trophy and Nico Williams to have a shot on target at 6/5. The Athletic Club winger scored in the Euro 2024 final against England, he netted against France in the Nations League semis, and remarkably he has managed 11 shots on target across his last four internationals. He had three shots on target in each of the quarter-final matches against the Netherlands, and three on Thursday against France.

Given how active he's been in the final third in recent Spain games, it's also worth laddering the Williams shots on target, with 2+ priced at 3/1 and 3+ a hefty 11/1.

Now read our Bets of the Day here!

Recommended bets

Back Lamine Yamal to score or assist @ 1/1

Back Spain to lift the trophy and Nico Williams to have a shot on target @ 6/5

Mike Norman's Build Up Tip

Player to have More Shots on Target

Cometh the hour, cometh the man. The problem is, which man?

Tonight's Nations League final promises to be a fascinating clash featuring two of the games superstars, and you get the feeling that one of them will shine on the big occasion.

And while I have no doubts whatsoever that the quite brilliant 17-year-old Lamine Yamal - possibly the best player in the world right now - can handle the big occasion as he did in Euro 2024, the man I'm backing in a Match Ups bet is Cristiano Ronaldo.

The incredible 40-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down. His appetite for the game, for success, and for personal records is as strong now as it was when he was Yamal's age.

Against Germany he wasn't at his brilliant best, but he was still by far Portugal's biggest attacking threat, registering seven shots at goal, with two being on target and of course, one being the winning goal. That's what Ronaldo does. He steps up on the big occasion, and I fancy he'll do so again tonight.

In a far more entertaining and open game, Yamal also shone for his country in a 5-4 win over France. He registered five shots at goal, and like Ronaldo, he had two shots on target (both resulted in goals).

So although it's probably a bit daft just to compare one performance, Ronaldo just edges it. In fact, his seven shots against Germany equates to 27% of all shots in the game that night, whereas Yamal's five shots equates to 12.5% of all shots in the game.

So it has to be Ronaldo for me tonight given that he's the outsider of the pair in a Shots on Target Match Up at 13/8, with Yamal the odds-on favourite at 5/6.

My other thinking is that Ronaldo is Portugal's main attacking threat, and should it be a tight game then he is the man most likely to make the difference for his side, whereas for Spain, you can pick three or four players - Nico Williams chief among them - who can produce brilliance just like Yamal can.

On that note, I wouldn't put anyone off backing Williams in a Shots on Target Match Up at 2/1 against Yamal either (he had five shots against France with three being on target, so one more than Yamal), but it's the Ronaldo bet that stands out for me tonight.