Portugal and Spain have avoided each other in the draw more often than not over the last decade and a half, which makes a meeting this early in the knockout stage feel like a fixture that arrived a round or two ahead of schedule. Both federations will privately admit they'd have preferred this in a final.
The head-to-head record at major tournaments is close to even, and the matches themselves have tended to be open — both sides have scored in three of their last four meetings at a World Cup or Euros. Neither team's current defensive record suggests that pattern is about to break: Spain have been caught on the counter twice this tournament, Portugal have struggled against sustained possession.
Whoever wins takes a significantly easier path through the rest of the bracket — which may be the biggest reason to expect a cautious opening twenty minutes before it opens up.
