The champion of Iberia will be crowned on Wednesday in the first semifinal of Euro 2012. If this was MLS it would have probably been named the Iberian SuperClasico presented by Honda with the winner getting the Golden Zorro Mask by now. Instead we just get an honest to goodness semifinal between one of the tournament’s favorites and one of the tournament’s top challengers led by one of the world’s best players. Juicy.
Portugal Vs. Spain, Euro 2012 Semifinals: Lines, Odds And Picks
Lines: Portugal, +1/2 (-110). Spain, +1/2 (-110).
Odds: Portugal, +325. Spain, -110. Draw, +230.
Over/Under: Over 2, -105. Under 2, -115.
The line on this one is pretty shocking and I wish I had access to a history of Spain's lines to track back when they were just a simple -110 favorite to win a match. They have made a habit of being -1 or even -1.5, with the -1/2 lines being at -140 or so.
Portugal is a tempting pick to upset Spain because of the strength they have on the wings, where Spain have had trouble defending. They also have Cristiano Ronaldo, who could turn a match with one moment of brilliance. That is especially true against Spain, who don't have much margin for error in their regular 1-0 win. A single moment of magic from Ronaldo and they're even. Still, Spain has done 1-0 too many times. Portugal don't have a striker to challenge Sergio Ramos and as well as Joao Moutinho has played, he isn't going to man the midfield without a Herculean performance from Miguel Veloso, who is nice, but nothing special. This one is Spain's and that -110 is a nice number to get it at.
It’s boring, but this one has 1-0 written all over it. That it is only -115 is somewhat surprising, but go under. Trust the 1-0.
We’ll have live coverage in our Portugal vs. Spain, Euro 2012 Semifinals StoryStream. For more on Euro 2012 and the entire world of football, follow @SBNationSoccer on Twitter.
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