A very nice topic to debate.
Portugal starting midfield will look something like this:
.................Petit........Paulo Sousa........
Conceicao........Rui Costa..............Figo
As main back ups I assume it will be Vidigal in the defencive midfielder "trinco" role, Hugo Viana will be the understudy for Sousa, with Nuno Capucho and Joao Pinto as back ups for all three attacking midfield roles. Spain's projected starting midfield should be something like this:
Luis Enrique.....Helguera.....Valeron.....Mendieta
As their main back ups they'll have Joaquin for the right wing, Baraja, Sergio, Albelda and Xavi/Guardiola for the central midfield and De Pedro or the option of moving Luis Enrique on the left.
Now, Spain obviouslt doesn't have a Figo. Thats a big advantage for Portugal. I'd rate Luis Enrique and Conceicao as equals, perhaps giving a slight edge to Luis Enrique due to his very good season while Conceicao has been only average with Inter. Rui Costa and Mendieta are both wonderfull players and I'd rate them of about the same calibre, add to that the fact that both of them have been having absolutely horrible seasons and they cancel its other out in our comparison. Paulo Sousa might have all the experience in the world, but the last few years he is more often injured than not so we can't really expect him to be the Sousa of old. On the other hand, Valeron has been in absolutely fantastic form this season for Deportivo, and has become instrumental both for his team and his country. As for Helguera vs Petit, aka the primarely defencive players in midfield, while I rate Petit a lot, and he is no doubt a class player, he is not as good as Ivan Helguera. To mee, especially considering the difference of formations, these midfields look about equal. On the debth though, can we really question Spain's supremacy? Simao for Portugal and Vicente for Spain will be missing for different reasons, and this naturally takes a great winger for each team. Capucho is a very good player, but so is Joaquin, and only reason we could consider Capucho better is his experience. In central midfield there is no competition. Baraja, Sergio, Albelda and Xavi/Guardiola whip the floor with anyone Portugal can field behind their starters, be that Vidigal, or Costinha/Paulo Bento or Hugo Viana. Joao Pinto is a big gun to have on the bench, but considering the versatility of Luis Enrique Spain can cover the left midfield role adequatly. I'd rate Barbosa and De Pedro about equal (average).
Well, I wasnt much wrong after all.

They are about but not equal. I'd still give the edge to Spain because of their debth, while Portugal's only superiority comes from the fact they have Figo. However, keeping in mind that Spain's attack is quite more superior. Although Nuno Gomes and Pauleta are effective strikers, especially with the NT, I think there is no question that Portugal does not posses a striker at the calibre of Raul or Diego Tristan or even Morientes.
I'm not saying Spain will definitely do better than Portugal. Their defence is lame and Camatcho is a moron and they do have a big tendency to choke, but in my opinion, if Spain plays to their full potential, they are have as good chance as everyone to win it, while Portugal will need to overachieve.
Just my opinion.
