Favourites Spain begin their World Cup against debutants Cape Verde

Spain open their World Cup campaign on June 15 against Cape Verde in Atlanta, and few fixtures on the group-stage calendar carry a wider gap in expectation. La Roja arrive as one of the favourites to win the whole tournament. Cape Verde arrive to play the first World Cup match in their history. For Indian viewers, the game kicks off at 9:30pm IST at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Luis de la Fuente’s side have made winning look routine for a while now. The reigning European champions have not lost in over two years, a run that now stretches to 30 matches, and they signed off their preparation with a 3-1 win over Peru. With that kind of form behind them, anything less than three points here would count as a stumble.

Spain’s selection questions

The main talking point in the Spain camp is how De la Fuente handles his attacking talent. Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams have both been managing hamstring issues, and the predicted XI has the pair starting on the bench. Both are available, but the coach looks ready to ease them in rather than risk them from the off against a side Spain expect to dominate. Holding that pace in reserve for the second half against tiring legs is a tempting option.

If either misses out from the start, Spain hardly lack for alternatives. Mikel Oyarzabal remains the first-choice penalty taker and a reliable finisher, and the midfield runs deep enough that De la Fuente can rotate without losing much. The bigger challenge is patience. Cape Verde will sit deep and compact, and Spain will need to move the ball quickly to prise them open rather than forcing it.

Cape Verde’s historic night

For Cape Verde, simply being here is the achievement. The Blue Sharks, from a nation of just over half a million people, reached the World Cup for the first time and travel to the United States in good heart after back-to-back 3-0 friendly wins over Serbia and Bermuda. They will not fear Spain, even if the gulf in quality is obvious.

Captain Ryan Mendes leads the line as their all-time leading scorer with 22 international goals, while Dailon Livramento, who top-scored in qualifying with four, gives them an outlet on the break. Their game plan picks itself: stay organised, frustrate Spain, and hope one of those counters lands. In a Group H that also contains Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, a point against the favourites would be a result they could build the rest of their campaign around.

Spain should win, and win comfortably. The interest lies in how they go about it, and in whether Cape Verde’s debut brings the upset story every World Cup seems to throw up sooner or later.

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