Spain prepares for Czech test in Granada
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Vicente del Bosque's Spain national team plays its first competitive match of 2011 when they entertain the Czech Republic in a Euro 2012 qualifying match in Granada on Friday night.
The game against the Czech Republic is one of two games the defending European and World Champions will play in the coming days and Spain will travel to Lithuania to play the second match next Wednesday.
Should the Spanish win on Friday night it will be a huge step towards qualifying for the finals, due to be held in Poland and the Ukraine. The Spanish have won all three of their previous qualifying matches and have a three point lead over the Czechs, who are second in the qualifying group.
The absence of Barcelona captain, Carles Puyol with an ongoing knee problem will see Del Bosque forced to make changes to his starting 11 with Sergio Ramos moving into central defense and wither Alvaro Arbeloa or Andoni Iriola stepping into the side at right back.
The only other question mark is in attack where Fernando Torres has struggled for form and has failed to score since leaving Liverpool to join Chelsea in January.
Del Bosque will probably keep faith in Torres and play him alongside David Villa in attack. That means Juan Mata and the powerful Fernando Llorente will have to wait for their turn. Meanwhile Xavi Hernandez, Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso will line up in midfield.
The game has caused huge expectation in Granada, where the main problem is that the Estadio de los Carmenes has a capacity for just over 16,000 fans. As a result tickets are in short demand and reportedly have a resale value of around 500 U.S. dollars.
The presence of 1,500 Czech fans all but ensures the game will be played in a fantastic atmosphere and World Champions will aim not to disappoint.
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