Cristiano Ronaldo will go head-to-head with Gerard Piqué for the sixteenth time in the last three years. Spain centre-back Piqué has one of the best defensive records against the Portuguese star, who has only scored on five occasions (one from a penalty), on which the Catalan defender has had the job of marking him.

Ronaldo has never scored against Spain or his Real Madrid teammate Iker Casillas. He failed to score in Portugal’s victory over Spain in the 2004 European Championships and again in his country’s 0-1 defeat at the hands of La Roja in the last-eight of the previous World Cup. When Paulo Bento’s Portugal side beat Spain 4-0 in the last friendly between the two nations, Ronaldo also failed to get his name on the score-sheet.

The Portuguese attacker – who has scored three goals so far at the Euros – will go head-to-head with defender Piqué, who has also hit a rich vein of form. After a difficult season with Barcelona, Piqué came to the tournament in good physical condition and is turning out to be one of Spain’s best players. His partnership with Sergio Ramos has made Spain into a solid defensive unit.

The Catalan now faces the challenge of stopping Ronaldo, with the Portuguese winning the individual battle between the two players this season. Ronaldo scored goals against Barca in the Supercopa de España and quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey, with Piqué in the Barca team.