Spain vs Switzerland – Villa to fire early Spanish warning shot
Published:World Cup favourites Spain will be looking to open their campaign with a statement of intent when they face Switzerland at 3pm on Wednesday.
The Euro 2008 champions enter their first match in South Africa in great form, and they are a convincing 2/7 to follow their recent 6-0 thrashing of Poland with a win against the Swiss.
Golden Shoe contender David Villa has five goals from his last five caps, and he is 11/4 to score first against Switzerland.
Despite struggling with injury in recent weeks, Fernando Torres is fit and ready to partner Villa in one of the world’s most potent strike partnerships.
Spain’s only injury doubt is Andres Iniesta, but the Barcelona midfielder is expected to recover from his thigh strain in time to start against Switzerland.
Even if Vicente Del Bosque chooses to rest Iniesta, he will still have Sevilla’s Jesus Navas and Iniesta’s Barcelona team-mates Sergio Busquets and Pedro to call upon.
Since becoming the first team to be eliminated from a World Cup (2006) without conceding a goal, Switzerland have gained a reputation for being a tedious, negative side.
They should not, however, be dismissed as defensive bores. Under Ottmar Hitzfeld, they scored 18 goals in 10 qualifying matches and, in record scorer Alexander Frei, the Swiss possess a major goal threat.
Hitzfeld’s side are still a tough defensive unit, but Spain are a team fluent and creative enough to prize open any backline.
Form is also against Hitzfeld’s side. Switzerland are winless in five matches, whereas Spain have an exceptional 44 wins, three draws and just one defeat from their last 48 fixtures.
Vicente Del Bosque’s men are also on a 12-match winning streak, and victory seems assured against a Switzerland side who are 10/1 to upset the World Cup favourites.
Who do you think will break the deadlock? Fernando Torres is 7/2 to score first. See the full Spain vs Switzerland market.
