Spain Unlikely To Show Tahiti Any Mercy

[Folami David]

World champions Spain will field a second-string side against Oceania champions Tahiti in the Confederations Cup on Thursday but are unlikely to show any mercy in what is expected to be a one- sided carnival of soccer at the Maracana Stadium.
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One of the more unlikely competitive matches in any major Fifa competition pits the amateurs from the South Pacific against a team that has won two European titles and the World Cup in the last five years and earned comparisons with the great Brazil side of 1970 widely regarded as the best team in history.
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Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque, speaking to the media before the Group B match, said he and his team were taking their opponents very seriously and would treat them with the utmost respect.
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However, he revealed that captain Iker Casillas, who played in Sunday's 2-1 win over Uruguay, would be rested and squad members who did not feature against the South American champions would also get a run out.
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"There will definitely be a change in goal and those who did not play against Uruguay will play," he told a news conference.
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"It's not showing the opponent a lack of respect but an attempt to maintain balance," added the former Real Madrid boss.
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"It helps improve relationships when everyone feels useful. The 23 players I have are starters for their clubs and they are all capable of playing for the national team.
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"It is often difficult when you are facing a weaker opponent but you have to show all your virtues and try to win.
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"We also have to show them total respect and naturally we want to score as many goals as possible."
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While Spain began the tournament with an impressive performance against Uruguay in Recife, Tahiti won plenty of praise for the way they played in their 6-1 defeat by Nigeria in Belo Horizonte.
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Although they were well beaten in the end and could have lost by a bigger margin if Nigeria had been more clinical in front of goal, they were trailing by a respectable 3-1 scoreline until 20 minutes from the end.

[Shola Sholaz]

Spain would definately show no mercy to any team in this Confederations Cup tournament. They'll want to win every game.