The Spain (España) vs Bolivia World Cup warm-up match will take place on Friday, May 30, 2014 (1:00 PM Pacific) at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez in Sevilla. Those named in the provisional 30-man squad will have one last game to prove they are worthy of inclusion in the final 23 players that coach Vincente del Bosque will select on 2nd June.
Particularly under the microscope will be stars such a Juan Mata and Fernando Torres, both of whom have struggled to make an impact for the national side is the last year. Torres may benefit from Diego Costa’s injury which could see him miss out on the tournament having scored 356 goals this season for Atletico Madrid. The Spanish coach has however said that he will give Costa every opportunity to prove his fitness.
Spain Team News
The Spanish will line-up with many of the fringe players given the chance to persuade del Bosque to include them. The side is relatively settled, so unlike England or Brazil there is no need to use the pre-tournament friendlies to try to test out the system and new players. Diego Costa will sit out, with no real signs of improvement in his hamstring.
Despite maybe not fielding their strongest side, the Spanish will still fancy their chances against a Bolivia side ranked 68th in the world.
Bolivia Team News
Bolivia have gone 9 games without a win, and they will be expecting to make that ten here. With a host of inexperienced players being introduced in a bid to improve the fortunes of the South Americans, it is perhaps Marcelo Moreno that most would look to as the one player with proven top level ability. But he unlikely to be able to have enough of an impact to help his side turn over one of the clear favourites for the World Cup.
Spain vs Bolivia Prediction
Bolivia can’t hold out much hope of getting anything from this game. The World Champions and European Champions are a well-oiled machine and will be well prepared come June 13th when they face a resurgent Dutch side under the stewardship of the next Manchester United manager. Spain should win at a canter and will hope for no more injuries as they gear up for the defence of their title.
Prediction: Span 4 – 0 Bolivia
TV Schedule: ESPN Deportes & ESPN 3
