Kevin Fylan

Spain have not won their opening match at the World Cup since 1950, when they managed their best ever result in the tournament by finishing fourth.

Their first-round exit in France four years ago confirmed their reputation as brilliant qualifiers who lose their form when the tournament gets underway.

Expectations in Spain are consequently at something of a low and the players know something special will be required against Slovenia on June 2 in their opening group B game to encourage the fans into a leap of faith.

"It's been the same story in recent tournaments," Luis Enrique said at Spain's training camp on Friday.

"We've had a long, negative run. It's over 50 years since Spain won the opening match at the World Cup and we need to break that sequence now.

"I'm sure the people are with us but we need to go out and play well in that first game to generate optimism back home.

"We believe we have a good team but we have to prove it on the field. That first game is almost like a final for us."

BETTER IMAGE

Spain, who also face Paraguay and South Africa in group B, continued their preparations with a low-profile warm-up game against a semi-professional side in Ulsan on Thursday.

Jose Antonio Camacho's team were far from impressive as they stuttered to a 3-1 win but Luis Enrique warned people not to take too much notice of the performance.

"We'll look a lot better when the tournament actually starts," he promised. "That game was just part of our preparation.

"The season isn't long finished but you still need to get your rhythm of competition back."

This will be a third World Cup for Luis Enrique, who helped Spain to the quarter-finals in the United States in 1994 and was part of the squad that disappointed so much in France.

"This is obviously going to be my last World Cup, at least as a player," said the 32-year-old. "It's my last chance to win the competition and to show what I can do."