Iberian Derby is the "Final" Portugal Hoped to Avoid

It is the "final" that Portugal wanted to avoid. The last match in Group A was always going to be the clash of the group, pitting the hosts against Iberian neighbors Spain in Lisbon's Alvalade stadium with a quarter-final place up for grabs.

But with the mathematicians signaling possible elimination rather than progress to the last eight, the Portuguese have more than an international derby match on their hands. They have a fight for their Euro 2004 lives.

Like Otto Rehhagel's confident and organized Greeks, who meet the demoralized and homeward-bound Russians in the other final Group A match, to be played simultaneously down in the Algarve, Spain need only a draw to be certain of qualification. The hosts, however, must win if they are to reach the last eight.

Draw for Spain would be enough

Portugal can be at least glad that they are in this position. Failure against the Russians on June 16 could have resulted in a national tragedy for the hosts but the 2-0 win gave new life to their qualification hopes and meant that Portugal would go into the final game against the Spanish as the form team. However, with Spain beating the Russians and then drawing with Greece, Josè Rui's team have a points cushion that "Big Phil" Scolari's Portuguese would currently kill for.

"This is like a final that nobody wanted," Pauleta, Portugal's veteran striker, said at the team's press conference on Friday. "We expected to get to this stage having already qualified," he continued, "but Greece took their chances and now they're the favorites."

Scolari may have already done enough to put the wheels back on Portugal's title challenge by dropping some of the "golden generation" for the Russia game and giving starting roles for Ricardo Carvalho, who replaced aging defender Fernando Couto; Miguel Monteiro in for Paulo Ferreira, the man who surrendered possession to give the Greeks their early opening goal, and Deco in place of Rui Costa. The team showed more flair, more commitment and more invention despite having the added bonus of facing a team with only 10 men for much of the game.

Deco's inclusion fired Portugal's revival

Deco especially caught the eye with his subtle touches and vision, and his apparent willingness to shrug off disappointment in favor of returning to the fight with focus. His desire for the victory and for the team was in marked contrast to the display put on by Rui Costa against Greece who spent most of the game trying not to trip over his bottom lip as he sulked around the pitch before being substituted. He did however score the all-important second goal to seal the Russia win but only after coming on as a substitute, giving the fallen star something to prove.

With Carvalho and Monteiro in the side, Portugal's creaking defense looked strong for once and the second introduction of Christiano Ronaldo as substitute showed that when the opposition looks tired, the young man with the winged feet of Hermes can bring an extra dimension to Portugal in the final period of a match. Considering the difference in performances against Greece and Russia, Portugal should be better equipped to take on Spain with these changes in approach.

Time for the Real Spain to step up

Spain share much in common with their neighbors. Both teams have huge reputations for excessive talent and potential and both have failed to live up to these with the international success that such attributes should automatically bring. Spain have yet to show anything that can suggest that this is the year that its own golden boys can deliver, despite being undefeated ahead of Sunday's crucial game.

The glorious combination of Raul and Morientes that brought about the opening goal against Greece aside, the Spanish have offered little in real attacking flair which, considering the players on offer, is a conundrum.

The former Real Madrid attacking partnership of Raul and Morientes are flanked by a pair of skilful wingers in Joseba Etxeberria and Vicente Rodríguez. A four-pronged attack of such speed and guile should have any team quaking in its multi-colored boots but the Spanish forward line have yet to penetrate less than world class defenses in the tournament so far.

With a reinforced back line awaiting the Spanish against Portugal, the match could turn out to be a battle between the rejuvenated Portuguese attack and the Spanish defense, the latter already short of competent center-backs and now further weakened by a one-match suspension for Carlos Marchena. The result will be a hard one to call.

Portugal (Probable): Ricardo, Miguel, Jorge Andrade, Ricardo Carvalho, Nuno Valente, Maniche, Costinha, Luis Figo, Deco, Simao Sabrosa, Pauleta.

Spain: Casillas, Puyol, Juanito, Helguera, Bravo, Albelda, Xabi Alonso, Joaquin, Vicente, Raul, Torres.