Good evening everybody, particularly those of you who may be a little dazed and confused after waking up from the narcoleptic episode where you collapsed face down on your keyboard during Japan 0-0 Paraguay earlier today. It was the kind of match that would put most right-thinking people to sleep, but send guardian.co.uk/sport tactics correspondent Jonathan Wilson to bed with a smile on his face and what looks like a canoe in his pocket.
Match pointers

• Spain were the first team since Hungary in 1986 not to collect a single card in the group stages of a World Cup tournament

• Portugal have failed to score in their last two World Cup knockout matches – 0-0 (aet) against England in the quarter-final and a 1-0 defeat to France in the semi-final in 2006

• Spain have kept clean sheets in 26% of their World Cup games (nine out of 34) since the start of the 1982 tournament

• If Portugal avoid defeat in this match they will set a new national team record of 20 games unbeaten in all competitions

• Despite appearing for only 118 minutes in the group stages, Spain's winger Jesús Navas attempted 40 crosses from open play – 18 more than anyone else

Team news we've culled from the wires: Portugal striker Hugo Almeida and winger Simao Sabrosa are back in the starting lineup for the second round match against Iberian neighbours Spain.

With coach Carlos Queiroz having chopped and changed the team three times in the group stage, forward Almeida made one start, scoring in Portugal's 7-0 rout of North Korea.
The tall striker's inclusion, ahead of poacher Liedson, means Cristiano Ronaldo, who played in the middle of the attack in the final group game against Brazil, can move back to one of the flanks.

The other wing will be occupied by Simao. He replaces Danny, who has been struggling with the thigh injury he picked up late in the 0-0 draw against Brazil.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque sends out the same starting team as in the 2-1 win over Chile. Midfielder Xabi Alonso has recovered from the sprained ankle he picked up in that match to start against the Portuguese.

Spain: 1-Iker Casillas; 15-Sergio Ramos, 3-Gerard Pique, 5-Carles Puyol, 11-Joan Capdevila; 14-Xabi Alonso, 8-Xavi, 6-Andres Iniesta, 16-Sergio Busquets; 9-Fernando Torres, 7-David Villa.
Subs: Valdes, Albiol, Marchena, Fabregas, Mata, Arbeloa, Pedro, Llorente, Javi Martinez, Silva, Jesus Navas, Reina.

Portugal: 1-Eduardo; 2-Bruno Alves, 21-Ricardo Costa, 6-Ricardo Carvalho, 23-Fabio Coentrao, 16-Raul Meireles, 15-Pepe, 19-Tiago, 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 11-Simao Sabrosa, 18-Hugo Almeida.
Subs: Beto, Ferreira, Rolando, Duda, Mendes, Liedson, Danny, Miguel, Veloso, Ruben Amorim, Deco, Fernandes.

Referee: Hector Baldassi (Argentina)

Craven plea: With tonight marking the end of the last 16, I want to hear what your favourite moments of the tournament have been to date, so I can recycle them and pass them off as my own when James Richardson asks me for my favourite moments of the tournament to date in World Cup Daily tonight. So far I've got France, England crashing out to Germany and that little brown bird taking up the vantage point on the Algeria goal-net to watch their scoreless draw with England.

On BBC, Alan Shearer is going out on a limb: "I just think Spain will edge it," he says. It's been tipping down with rain all day at the Green Point Stadium in Cape Town, which should make for a nice greasy surface.

Pyramid Inverter Jonathan Wilson writes from South Africa: "Actually I thought that Japan v Paraguay game was rubbish," he protests. "When I say goals are over-rated it doesn't necessarily follow that every 0-0 is exquisite. Paraguay had one idea: let Morel cross it; but that was one more than Japan. Because of that they deserved to win, and it wasn't as bad as Ukraine v Swizterland four years ago, but it was dire." I don't know - if it was a woman he was talking about, you'd think he was protesting a bit too much.

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