PORTUGAL ARE A THREAT

Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas has said that he is under no illusion that the Portuguese will offer a major threat to the Spanish in their efforts to reach the Euro 2012 final. Spain have qualified for the final of the competition after beating France 2-0 in the quarter-final stage. They are the favourites to win the competition, but will face a stern opposition in the form of Portugal.

No one has expected Portugal to reach the stage of the competition after they were grouped in the famous 'group of death'. However, attractive performances in the group stages coupled with stubborn display in the quarter-final mean that they will face Spain in the semifinals of the competition.

At this stage of competition, everyone will believe that they have the opportunity to win the tournament itself according to Cesc Fabregas. He has also singled out Cristiano Ronaldo as a major threat for Portugal, but is also intelligent enough to know that Portugal do not have only Ronaldo as the main force within their team. Fabregas has been used as the false striker by Spain in the quarter-final match against France. It remains to be seen if Spanish national team manager Vicente del Bosque will be willing to recall Fernando Torres to the starting line-up.

"Portugal have a strong counterattack, but if I were a coach and had Nani and Cristiano Ronaldo I'd probably play that way too. There may be three Real Madrid players in their side but they have a distinct style. Portugal have a midfield which likes to hold the ball and use it well," said Cesc Fabregas after the 2-0 win over France. Alonso scored both the goals for Spain at a time when it looked extremely difficult for the current Champions to open the scoring.