Spain - Russia ( Spania - Rusia)
Luis Aragonés and Guus Hiddink have both placed the emphasis of their pre-match build-up to this tantalising opener on not losing, so caution could be the order of the day in Innsbruck on Tuesday afternoon.The two sides met in the opening game of Euro 2004 with Spanish edging a very tight encounter with a solitary goal from Juan Carlos Valerón and it could take just a single effort to separate the two sides here.
For Spain the pressure is as intense as ever with all kinds of baggage being taken into a major tournament with them once again along with the high expectations of public that believes success should be theirs, but inevitably will not be.During his tenure Aragonés has been pilloried and derided and rarely praised with chapters like his outburst against Thierry Henry, his omission of Raúl and his arguments and rants at the media all having seen him earn more and more critics.Then there is the performance of his team who have been accused of passing far too much while lacking the penetration to be able to play a major role in the tournament this summer.Spain had relied on a steadfast defence, but even that is being picked at after Carlos Marchena weak clearance allowed Peru to score against Iker Casillas last week in a friendly.While the media revel in highlighting and dissecting Spain's mistakes, all this may well be creating something of a siege mentality within the camp because all the players are certainly singing from the same songsheet in front of the media.
In the game against the United States and Peru recently, the team looked like a unit, but it is not look effective or incisive and that is an old problem that Aragonés is going to have to solve.When a free-scoring striker at club level like Fernando Torres claims that the system is hampering him, then maybe it is time to consider a change
Spain
Aragonés is keeping his cards very close to his chest, but reports in Spain suggest that the veteran trainer is considering pairing David Villa up front with Fernando Torres, rather than employ the conservative formation he played against the United States. In midfield, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and Marcos Senna look set to play with David Silva just in front.
Russia
Arshavin is suspended while Pogrebnyak has been ruled out of the tournament with a knee injury meaning the Hiddink will be trying a front pair that he was not expecting to.
Spain - Russia 1 or..Under 2.5
posted by Midnight Sun @ 21:47,
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