Striker Fernando Torres and influential attacking midfielder Andres Iniesta are fit to play against Switzerland in Spain's opening World Cup match, coach Vicente Del Bosque said on Tuesday.
Spain's attacking midfielder Juan Mata knows he is unlikely to make Vicente del Bosque's starting lineup despite being one of Chelsea's best players in their run to Champions League glory.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque sprung three surprises in his 23-man squad for the World Cup in South Africa, including Barcelona pair Victor Valdes and Pedro plus Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez. Goalkeeper Valdes replaces Villarreal's Diego Lopez as Spain's third-choice behind number one and captain Iker Casillas of Real Madrid and number two Pepe Reina of Liverpool.
Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas sustained a hamstring injury during training on Saturday and will be out of action for around three weeks, the European champions said.
The main conundrum for Spain coach Vicente del Bosque ahead of Friday's World Cup Group I qualifier at home to minnows Finland is who to deploy in place of Xavi should the injured Barcelona playmaker be ruled out as expected.
Pedro extended his recent purple patch for Spain when he struck twice to help the world and European champions to a 3-1 win over Uruguay in a friendly in Qatar on Wednesday.
Manchester United will welcome David de Gea back into the fold even if, as expected, the goalkeeper refuses to sign a new contract following his failed attempt to move to Real Madrid, British media reported on Thursday.
The absence of Juan Mata from Vicente del Bosque's Spain squad is proof of the quality the world and European champions can draw on, midfielder Javi Martinez said on Tuesday.
Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal is hoping as many Spain players as possible feature in the Champions League final on May 24 so the holders have less time to prepare for their June 13 World Cup Group B clash.
Spain retained the Euro title by convincingly beating Italy 4-0 on Sunday in Kiev. Following are interesting facts about Spain's Euro win.
Polish FA chief Grzegorz Lato has played down Spain's complaints about the pitch after Sunday's 1-1 draw with Italy at Euro 2012, denying the grass was too long and saying the Italians refused to let it be watered.
Striker Roberto Soldado was left out of Spain's squad for Euro 2012 on Sunday, despite scoring a hat-trick in a friendly in March.
European champions Spain remained top of the world soccer rankings for a fourth straight month on Wednesday after extending their lead over world champions Italy.
England were booed off at halftime against Andorra before grinding out a 2-0 victory as Europe's 2010 World Cup qualifiers began in earnest on Saturday.
Spain and hat-trick hero Pedro turned on the style in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win in Belarus amid a television blackout while Sweden had viewers switching off before rallying in the Faroe Islands on Friday.
Favourites Spain start the defence of their world title away to Georgia on Tuesday when coach Vicente del Bosque will have another chance to test the form of record marksman David Villa, recently returned from eight months out with a broken leg.
Spain rode their luck to reach their third major final in a row and Portugal were the better team for long periods, coach Vicente del Bosque said after a 4-2 win on penalties in their Euro 2012 semi-final on Wednesday.
Spain's gamble of starting without a recognised striker almost backfired when the holders needed a Cesc Fabregas equaliser to salvage a 1-1 draw against Italy in their Euro 2012 Group C opener on Sunday.
Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta stepped up his recovery from a minor thigh muscle strain on Saturday but remains a doubt for the European champions' opening Group H match on June 16.
Victor Valdes is having another outstanding season for Barcelona and his continued absence from Spain's squad underlines the embarrassment of goalkeeping riches for the European champions. Valdes, who was called up once in August 2005 but did not play, has no chance of ousting Real Madrid's Iker Casillas as Spain's number one and if he makes Vicente del Bosque's World Cup squad will be third choice behind Liverpool's Pepe Reina.
Spain, who won Euro 2008 with a series of superb performances culminating in their victory over Germany in the final, are ranked number one in the world and were grouped with Czech Republic, Scotland, Lithuania and Liechtenstein.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has praised goalkeeper David de Gea for the way he has handled an off-field controversy at Euro 2016. The Manchester United player, who has vehemently denied allegations in the Spanish media linking him to a prostitution case, was selected to play against the Czech Republic in Group D in Toulouse on Monday.
Spain were caught by surprise by the United States when the European champions lost 2-0 in the Confederations Cup semi-final on Wednesday, said coach Vicente del Bosque.
Rediff.com brings you the best quotes of the day from Brazil!
Barcelona's Xavi, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta are on the shortlist for the first FIFA Ballon D'Or award for the best player in the world to be presented on Monday at a ceremony that gets bigger by the year.
An all-conquering Spain side were on the crest of a wave last time they faced Germany on the way to winning the 2010 World Cup but they now meet on Tuesday in what will be a stern test for a new fledgling team.
As Vicente Del Bosque's high flying La Furia Roja side get ready to take on Bert Van Marwijk's industrious and effective Oranje at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg on Sunday, rediff.com takes a look at a few players who can make a difference to the eventual outcome.
David Villa has found the rich vein of form that can win a World Cup and as long as he continues to mine it, Spain will be quietly confident of adding soccer's biggest prize to their European crown
A dominant Spain got their World Cup campaign firmly back on track when David Villa struck twice to lead the European champions to a 2-0 win over Group H minnows Honduras on Monday.
Striker David Villa hit two stunning goals -- and missed a penalty -- as Spain returned to form with a 2-0 victory over Honduras at the World Cup on Monday.
Relief ran through Spanish ranks after Gerard Pique's late header secured a 1-0 victory over the Czech Republic in their opening Group D match at Euro 2016 on Monday.
The former Manchester United assistant manager signed a two-year contract with the Spanish champions on Wednesday.
Striker Alvaro Negredo scored twice and created two more goals to lift European champions Spain to a 5-2 victory over Bosnia on Wednesday and make it 10 wins out of 10 in World Cup qualifying Group Five. Coach Vicente del Bosque gave Negredo his first starting spot in place of Fernando Torres and the Sevilla forward took his chance to impress with two goals in five second-half minutes and assists for David Silva and Juan Mata.
The suggestion that Spain need to change their playing style is already meeting resistance even though another disappointing performance at a major soccer tournament suggests that tiki-taka has run its course. In many countries, a defeat as comprehensive as the one Spain suffered against Italy in Euro 2016 on Monday, when they were outplayed and lucky to lose only 2-0, would have led to calls to knock everything down and start again. In Spain, however, where many are proud of having such a distinctive style of play, there are plenty of voices calling for the team to continue trying to pass the ball all the way into the goal.
Busquets made 143 appearances for the national team after making his debut in 2009 in a 2-1 win away to Turkey, with only Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas having played more games.
Florentino Perez has acquired a reputation for being Real Madrid's hero after bringing Luis Figo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldo and David Beckham to the club.
"I've had talks with Hierro and his representatives over the weekend and he is keen to come to Bolton," Bolton manager Sam Allardyce said.
Spain defender Sergio Ramos was surprised to learn that the country's record appearance maker and long-time captain Iker Casillas had been left out of the Spain squad by coach Julen Lopetegui. The Spain players met up with their new manager for the first time on Monday to prepare for the international friendly in Belgium on Sept. 1 and their opening World Cup qualifier at home to Liechtenstein on Sept. 5.
The Real Madrid captain played over 500 matches and helped the team to three European Cups and six league titles.
Spain striker Diego Costa could miss next month's European Championship finals due to his latest hamstring injury, Chelsea's interim manager Guus Hiddink said on Friday.
© 2026 Rediff.com - Advertise with us - Disclaimer - Privacy Policy - Sitemap - Feedback - About us - Terms of use - Grievances