Australia v Spain preview: Reigning champions and Group B minnows play for pride
It’s no great surprise to see Australia playing for little more than pride in their final group game at the 2014 World Cup, but it’s a huge shock to see reigning champions Spain in the same position. Defeats to both the Netherlands and Chile sentenced Vicente del Bosque’s men to an early exit, and the clash with the Socceroos in Curitiba will be the last chance to see some of Spain’s golden generation in action. talkSPORT looks at the key facts ahead of the game…
Australia
The story so far: This young crop of Australia players wasn't expected to escape from a tough group this summer, but despite their status as minnows, the Socceroos have performed well against strong opposition. Scoring against both Chile and the Netherlands, they gave the Dutch in particular a shock when they led by two goals to one momentarily in Porto Alegre, so an upset against Spain isn’t impossible.
Fact: This is the first meeting between Australia and Spain.
Spain
The story so far: It has all gone horribly wrong for Spain. After going ahead in their opener against the Netherlands it looked like business as usual for Vicente del Bosque’s men, but things soon fell apart, resulting in a 5-1 hammering from their 2010 World Cup final opponents. Against Chile Spain looked even worse at times, and a 2-0 loss ensured their tournament would come to an end after the Australia game. Spanish pride is hurt, and some of the veteran players like Xabi Alonso and David Villa are likely to play their last international game in Curitiba this afternoon.
Fact: This is Spain’s worst performance at a World Cup since France 98, when they were also eliminated at the group stage.