World Cup: Portugal, Spain vie for top spot in Group B

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08:12

We begin our special World Cup series, Destination Russia, with a closer look at group B on Sports Scene. The group includes Morocco, who are appearing in the finals for the sixth time, and the highest ranked Asian side, Iran.

However, all the attention will be on Euro 2016 winners Portugal and 2010 world champions Spain as the two European sides are hot favorites to advance into the knockouts, but who clinches top spot remains anyone's guess.

Morocco's national football team prior to the friendly football match against Ukraine in Geneva on May 31, 2018. /VCG Photo

The defending European champions are one of the favorites to win the World Cup with Cristiano Ronaldo spearheading their attack. The side’s emphatic success at Euro 2016 underlined their supremacy and also their ability to win a big tournament.

Spain's national football team squad pose for an official photo at Las Rozas de Madrid sports city. /VCG Photo

Fernando Santos's team won their first-ever major trophy at the Euros and after Ronaldo’s recent record haul of UEFA Champions League goals, Portugal can actually end their World Cup drought.

They will face a tough challenge from another side from the Iberian Peninsula, Spain as the two sides are having a showdown in Sochi in the opening group game. The much-anticipated match is expected to set the tone not only for their group but also for the whole tournament.

On the other hand, Iran and Morocco are the underdogs from the group as both Portugal and Spain are expected to progress to the second round if they live up to their expectations.

Members of the Iran national football team during a training session at Lokomotiv Bakovka Training Centre ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. /VCG Photo

Ronaldo, who has recently won a record 5th Champions League title with Real Madrid, is the leading goalscorer and appearance maker in Portugal’s history with 81 goals in 149 games and is expected to lead the charge once again.

The 33-year-old may well end his international career after this tournament and he will definitely try his talismanic best to walk down the sunset boulevard on a high.

Spain ended their World Cup title jinx in 2010 when they beat the Netherlands in the final to lift their coveted title. The tiki-taka exponents are among the favorites to win the trophy as they have a perfect blend of youth and old warhorses on their side.

Youngsters like Isco, David de Gea, Marco Asensio will share the dressing room with veterans like Andres Iniesta, David Silva, and Sergio Ramos while Diego Costa will lead their attack force.

Stadium Profile: Fisht Stadium

48,000-seater Fisht Stadium in Sochi which will host four group games, a Round of 16 match and a quarterfinal of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. /VCG Photo

The Fisht Stadium is staging one of the most highly anticipated encounters of the group stages, as Portugal and Spain kick off their World Cup campaigns by going head to head in this very city. Sochi is hosting three other group matches, a Round of 16 tie and a quarterfinal.

During the World Cup, the Fisht Stadium will be able to seat up to 48,000 spectators.

The stadium was built specially for the 2014 Winter Olympics in a beautiful area of the city, part of the Imereti Lowlands stretching along the Black Sea, which is visible from the stands.

Surrounding the stadium are other Olympic sites and the Formula 1 race track. It takes just over an hour by train, bus or car to reach the Caucasus Mountains from the Olympic Park.

The name "Fisht" comes from the Adyghe word for the eponymous mountaintop in the main Caucasus ridge and means "white head." The outline of the arena, which was designed by a British architectural firm, itself resembles a snowy mountain peak.

The Fisht Stadium went through its first tests as a football venue back in 2017, hosting a friendly between Russia and Belgium on March 28, the Russian Cup between FC Ural and Lokomotiv Moscow on May 2 and also three matches at the FIFA Confederations Cup.

(With input from FIFA.com)