Portugal take on Spain - the home country of Seleção boss Roberto Martínez - with a quarterfinal against Belgium or the United States awaiting the winner.

Supersub Silva helps Portugal put paid to Croatia

Bernardo Silva was dropped from the lineup after Portugal labored to a disappointing draw with DR Congo in their group-stage opener three weeks ago, but on Thursday he came off the bench to good effect as Martínez’s team beat Croatia 2-1 in an epic round-of-32 encounter.

Introduced with his team 1-0 down in Toronto, the Real Madrid new boy was one of five second-half substitutes who played their part in Portugal’s come-from-behind victory. However, he will not start today, with João Félix making the XI.

CR7 swansong against Spain?

In the Portugal forward line in Texas this afternoon, Cristiano Ronaldo is set to play the 27th - and potentially last - World Cup game of his illustrious career.

The 41-year-old, whose tournament appearance tally is second only to Argentina’s Lionel Messi, confirmed on Sunday that this will be his final World Cup.

“Playing at 41 has been a great experience,” Ronaldo told reporters. “To reach this level you have to give up a lot of things. Everything I’ve done throughout my career has been about adapting. I’m not the player I used to be, but nothing has changed. I’m still scoring goals, and I hope I score [against Spain].”

Portugal’s expected lineup vs Spain:

Diogo Costa, João Cancelo, Rúben Dias, Renato Veiga, Nuno Mendes, João Neves, Vitinha, João Félix, Bruno Fernandes, Pedro Neto, Cristiano Ronaldo

Spain vs Portugal: kickoff times, how to watch in the U.S.

Played at AT&T Stadium, the round-of-16 clash kicks off at 3:00 p.m. ET/12 noon PT. Viewers in the U.S. will be available to watch the game live on Fox Network, Telemundo, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo, Fox One and fubo.

Spain and Portugal are meeting for the third time at a men’s World Cup, eight years on from a thrilling group-stage clash that witnessed a hat-trick from Ronaldo. In the teams’ opening game at Russia 2018, La Roja and the Seleção drew 3-3 in Sochi, with Diego Costa (twice) and Nacho Fernández netting for the Spaniards.

The Iberian nations also faced off in the round of 16 in 2010. In Cape Town, David Villa’s second-half strike earned a 1-0 for Spain, who went on to lift their sole world title in South Africa.

Who is the referee for Spain vs Portugal?

England’s Anthony Taylor, who is taking charge of his first ever World Cup knockout tie, will be the match referee in Texas. Check out our prematch profile of the 47-year-old.

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