Spain v Portugal preview

The latest edition of the Nations kicks off for Portugal, the inaugural winners of the competition, on Thursday night as the Seleção take on Spain in Seville.

Many view this tournament as an ideal preparatory exercise for the World Cup in November, but Portugal coach Fernando Santos does not see it that way, while the Spaniards are looking to go one step further than last time round, when they were beaten in the final by France. 

“Our goal for all the competitions we enter is always to win them. This is not preparation for the World Cup,” said Santos in the pre-match press conference today.

“We are talking about two of the best national teams in the world and a third one that has also been among the best. Switzerland have done very well in recent tournaments. They will be tough games and we are determined to win our matches.

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