Portugal vs. Spain TV Schedule: Players to Watch in First Euro 2012 Semifinal

Portugal and Spain will face off on Wednesday for the right to play in the Euro 2012 championship. The winner of this tilt will play the winner of Germany and Italy in Sunday's Euro title game.

Let's find out where you can watch Wednesday's action between these two sides (courtesy of espn.com).

Game	Date/Time	Channel
Portugal vs. Spain	Wednesday, June 27, 2:45 p.m. EST	ESPN ESPN3.com

Each side features their own strengths and weaknesses. Portugal will lean on iconic star Cristiano Ronaldo offensively, while Spain utilizes their devastating array of talented midfielders to pressure the Portugal defense.

So far in this tournament, Spain has allowed one goal. Portugal has allowed four. Despite all of their combined offensive skill, don't expect a wide-open assault on the goalkeepers. Each team plays solid and disciplined defense, and they will each fear the opposing offense.

A handful of players make the wheels turn for these teams. Let's take a look at who you should be watching in Wednesday's action.

Nani

Nani must give the Spanish defense something to focus on besides Ronaldo. He's a dangerous attacker with exceptional quickness in the open field.

Spain will not allow CR7 to win this game on his own, or they will do their best to ensure that doesn't happen. That means Nani must control the pace of the game from the right wing.

He will go head-to-head with Spanish left-back Jordi Alba. Nani's foot skills and explosiveness give him an advantage. He should have enough time and space to impact this game.

Ronaldo is arguably the world's best player, but he isn't going to beat Spain by himself. He will need help, and Nani is the best possible candidate.

Alvaro Arbeloa

Arbeloa is charged with the tall task of shutting down the left side of Portugal's offense. He will take on Ronaldo as he tries to control the game from the left wing.

These two players are familiar with each other. Real Madrid is each player's home during club play. This could help Arbeloa a little bit, but he's still overmatched in terms of skill and raw ability.

Spain knows that a lot of their defensive success rides of Arbeloa in Wednesday's game. If he cannot dictate CR7's tempo by taking away his time and space, Spain will have a long day in their own end. But if Arbeloa can keep Ronaldo on the perimeter, he will be neutralized and Spain will hold a huge advantage.

There's a ton of pressure riding on Arbeloa on Wednesday. This matchup will be worth paying attention too.

Rui Patricio

Spain is one of the tournament's highest-scoring squads. Outside of Germany, their attack is deeper and more skilled than any other international squad's attack.

That puts a lot of responsibility on Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Patricio. He only has one clean sheet so far in this tournament, and that was against the Czech Republic in their quarterfinal matchup.

He will be under more duress against Spain. Their central midfield (led by Xabi Alonso) will test Portugal's center backs and Andres Iniesta will put pressure on Portugal from the outside.

Patricio is going to have to make a few timely saves for Portugal to pull the upset on Wednesday. Players like Cesc Fabregas, Iniesta, Xabi Alonso and David Silva can only be held back for so long. Sooner or later, they will find their way to the front of the net.

This matchup will be tightly contested. A big save could be all Portugal needs to flip momentum in their favor.

David Silva

Silva has a starling international reputation despite his meager output in this tournament thus far. He only has one goal in Euro action this year.

Spain needs that to change on Wednesday. He is perhaps their most dangerous attacker from his right wing position, and he faces an interesting matchup with Fabio Coentrao on Portugal's left side.

Coentrao is a solid defender, but he does most of his work on the offensive end. He helps push the ball up the field to Ronaldo, and he plays a major hand in Portugal's counter attack.

That will leave a lot of room for Silva to maneuver. He must take advantage of that.

Silva is Spain's best table-setter. He's an extremely creative player with excellent vision. He has a dangerous strike when he needs, but his main assets lie with his ability to carry the ball and see upfield.

Spain doesn't have one player who's up to Ronaldo's skill level, but Silva is the closest candidate. He will play a vital role in any goal that Spain scores.