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It is fair to say this could be one of the most improbable pairings in the history of the European Championships. It is the first ever competitive meeting between Portugal and Wales and they have played each other only once in the last 65 years - a friendly in 2000, which Portugal won 3-0.
The progress of the Dragons has raised football to new heights in the valleys, with there being ferocious demand for tickets in the Cardiff fanzone amid - perhaps optimistic - claims that football could be set to overtake rugby as the national sport.
TALKING POINT
It is unfortunate the build-up to a game of this magnitude has been dominated by just two players, but when those two players are Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, it is understandable.
The Real Madrid team-mates are two of the biggest stars in world football and of vital importance to their respective sides. But beyond the star gazing, the fact both nations have been hauled to this stage by a genuine team effort and particularly so on the part of the Welsh, has been virtually ignored.
NUMBERS GAME
Should Wales win on Wednesday, they will become the first British side to reach a European Championship final. And few could argue with their credentials so far.
Here is just a sample: They have won four times at this tournament and have scored first in four of their five games played. When they did concede first - against Belgium - they responded with three strikes of their own.
They have also already equalled the record for goals (10) scored by a British nation in a European Championships - being now tied with England, who scored 10 at Euro 2004.
TALKING SENSE
Wales manager Chris Coleman is adopting a pragmatic attitude ahead of Wednesday’s clash with the Portuguese. And quite right he is too. Football is about winning, not taking part and there is surely no worse place to lose than in a semi-final.
“It’s more about being streetwise at this level,” said Coleman.
“We’ve got better at that. We used to be far too honest. I’d look at what opposing players used to do to us and what we’d be doing in the same situations and we’d be miles behind.
“Sometimes, it’s not pretty, or even ugly and you can see it as negative. But anything you need to do to stay in the game, do it.”
PLACE YOUR BET
Portugal have ridden their luck to get to this stage and cannot be fancied with any confidence to progress to the final. It is, however, not hard to envisage Ronaldo rippling the net at some stage and possibly from a header.
Wales to win 2-1 is priced at 14/1 and is worth a punt at that price. The Real Madrid maestro - CR7 that is - to nod in a goal at any time is available at 7/1.
CHAUD OR FROID
There has been much made of Portugal's poor form to date - they are the first team to reach a European Championship semi-final since the competition's 1996 expansion while only managing to win one game.
Even the 1-0 win over Croatia was achieved with a Ricardo Quaresma extra-time goal. But they are also the first team to reach four European Championship semi-finals since 2000. They have, at times, looked a petrified outfit in their run to the last-four and will need to come out of their shells to beat the Welsh, who will not fear them.
Let's hope they do not do so because the prospect of Wales in the final of Euro 2016 is just absolutely bloody marvellous.
