The Spain vs Chile match will be played on June 18, at Estadio Jornalista Mário Filho (Maracanã), Rio de Janeiro.
These teams are approaching this match with completely different perspectives. Chile, as expected, easily dispatched Australia by 3:1, but Spain experienced a real thrashing in the hands of the Netherlands – 5:1. What happened to the reigning champions of the world was really remarkable.
They had the lead, Silva had an opportunity to make it 2:0 before the halftime, and that would have surely been “game over” for the Dutch. However, right before the halftime whistle, Van Persie scored a fantastic goal, and the two teams entered the second half with an even score. What happened in the second half was probably the subject of serious analysis of the Spanish coaching staff, and they will probably make some changes prior to this match.
Spain can’t give themselves the luxury of losing another game, because that would mean they are eliminated from the tournament.
Four years ago, when they won the title, they lost in the opening match too, against the Swiss. But, they didn’t receive a trashing like few days ago. They must prove their worth in this hard situation, overcome it, and fight for the title again.
In this match, Spain will clearly have a much bigger ball possession. Chile will defend deep, and look for a chance to counter, mostly with Barcelona’s Alexis Sanchez. They showed that they can press very seriously against the Australians, but they probably won’t do that very often against Spain, since the Spaniards are technically superior, and a mistake in the pressing could lead to conceding a goal.
In the past, when Spain scored first, it usually meant that the game was over, but Netherlands showed that maybe they are past their prime by coming back and giving them a real beating. Chile will surely draw confidence from that game, and they are convinced they can match Spain’s power.
It will be interesting to see whether Del Bosque will give the chance to De Gea instead of Casillas, who was accused of being the biggest reason for Spain’s defeat against the Netherlands, and whether Koke will replace Xavi in the starting lineup.
Considering all the facts, Spain must win this game, or they will be eliminated in the group phase. It is expected that they will give everything they’ve got, and succeed in doing that.
Match Prediction >>Spain to Win the match @1.70 bet365
