Gniewino (Poland): The temperature is already on the rise and except it to touch the ultimate point when the Iberian rivals Spain and Portugal go head to head against each other in the first semifinals of the Euro Cup 2012 on Wednesday here.

Last time they met in a major championship was 2010 FIFA World Cup and Ronaldo’s men were blown away by Spian, but this time things look to be different and outcome might also differ from the last time around.

Here are some of the things that would matter when these Iberian sides meet in the clash of the tournament:

Formation: Spain peculiar 4-6-0 formation did not fire on all cylinders as Vincente del Bosque would have expected but then produced satisfactory results for them, whereas on the other hand Portugal 4-3-3 formation have lived up to their expectation and barring their loss against Germany in the opening match, everything has fallen in place. Even against Germany they did not fail and it was just a goal that made the difference.

Midfield: It would be foolish to draw a comparison with the Spanish midfielder. They are playing with six midfielders and the number off passes completed by Spain is astronomical. They finished 900 passes in their last match against France a record with majority of them being completed between Barcelona FC duo Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta. It is expected to frustrate Paulo Bento’s men today in the game. But then Portugal has also come good in the tournament and what has been good for them that their midfielding trio of Raul Merieles, Joao Moutinho and Miguel Veloso has performed so well that it has helped their forwards shrug off that extra pressure especially the wingers Nani and Christiano Ronaldo.

Xabi Alonso and Christiano Ronaldo form: Both these Real Madrid teammates had a quiet start to their tournament but then their jump to form at the right time can be a deciding factor in the game. Alonso was on a fire in their last match against France whereas Ronaldo was a livewire on the pitch in the last two matches and if they maintain the form it can get really difficult for either sides to contain these stalwarts.

Defence: Both the team’s defence is a star studded and but the Spanish defence has looked more solid and conceded only one goal so far in the tournament whereas Portugal saw four goals scored against them. This is the only discipline where Spain weighs down their rivals and Portugal would have increase competency in their defence if they have to win.

By looking at these different comparisons and their performance in the tournament surely make the match an evenly placed one and they would no one starts as a favorite. And also that eight Real Madrid players are spread across the Iberian borders, give them a fair degree of inside knowledge about each other which indeed would make the match an interesting one. All that could be said about this clash of titans is that capitalizing on opportunities would be the key thing to win the match and missing chances might cost dear.

By Indian Sports News Network