Spain vs Chile in a Group B confrontation will be a good matchup as both teams need wins to stay alive as nothing can be assumed in the group rounds. Spain coming off a miserable performance against the Netherlands losing 5-1 while Chile more or less cruised to a 3-1 win over Australia although not a walk in the park.
Now that all the sweet roses have been stepped on, Spain’s reality check is out the door and Spain will be playing each match moving forward with a purpose. Does Spain have the ability to turn things around is the question? Many people think it needs to start in goal with Iker Casillas, who had a nightmare in the nets against Holland, as he needs to step up and be a leader to spur the former World Cup Champions back into the hunt.
Spain Head Coach Del Bosque is not too quick to point fingers and stated, “Our squad has 16 players coming back from the 2010 World Cup Championship team”, so Del Bosque’s message is there is a fine line on how to adjust the line-up accordingly in order to get the formula right for the Chile match.
Chile on the other hand is coming off what some would consider a fairly successful first match against Australia. Securing the three points was the goal and the objective was achieved, but now Chile must play an opponent is going to be a different type of competition and a different level of skill. Chile scored 2 goals in the first 15 minutes Australia which was a highlight for the offensive attack for the team.
The last time these two teams played again one another was in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa with Spain coming out ahead 2-1 with the win.
Chile’s star midfielder Arturo Vidal, who played against Australia, played well considering he was coming back from a injury so he is still going to need a bit more time to get game fit and go the full ninety minutes with the intensity and skill that he is capable of showcasing.
Jorge Valdivia was all over the field for Chile in its first match against Australia with one goal in the tournament so look for Valdivia to have a repeat performance to help Chile shoot for the win.
The game is set to kick off at 3:00PM EST at the Estadio do Maracana, in Rio de Janeiro, Mato Grosso. It can be seen on ESPN and in Spanish on Univision. If you want to live stream the match, simply go to WatchESPN here and here for a live stream in Spanish.
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