Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque is likely to revert to his first-choice side when they meet Nigeria in their final Confederations Cup Group B game at the Estadio Castelao on Sunday.
“It will be basically that side, yes,” said Del Bosque when asked if he would name the same side that beat Uruguay 2-1 in their opening match last Sunday in Recife.
Del Bosque fielded a nominal ‘B’ team in their 10-0 thrashing of Tahiti on Thursday though that included some of the best players in Europe in Fernando Torres and David Villa, who scored seven goals between them against the Oceania champions.
“I have no problems,” Villa said when asked about the possibility of reverting to the bench. “There are 23 strong players in the squad, and we are a team and the coach decides who he wants to play. He will choose, it’s part of the game.”
Spain, who are unbeaten for 24 matches, are virtually guaranteed a place in the semifinals and likely game against Italy in Fortaleza next Thursday.
Even if they lose to the African champions, Nigeria would have to win by at least four goals as Uruguay will almost certainly beat Tahiti in Recife.
Spain have six points from their two games with a goal difference of +11, followed by Nigeria (+4) and Uruguay (0) on three points each. Tahiti are out of contention after two heavy defeats.
The runner-up of the group will meet Brazil, who finished top of Group A after their 4-2 win over Italy on Saturday, in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday.
