Group D favorites Spain will open their 2016 UEFA European Championship stint facing lowly team Czech Republic at the Stadium Municipal in Toulouse on Monday, June 13.
Spain, currently ranked seventh in the world by FIFA, is one of the best teams in the tournament and is expected to at least reach the semifinals, if not the final, of the 24-team premier European competitions.
For one, they are the defending champions of the last two Euros and also the defending World Cup champions before they surrendered it to Germany in 2014. They are arguably the greatest national football team of the decade as they had been lording it over their rivals since 2010, but the aura of invincibility is evidently not the same as it was four or five years ago.
The Red Fury is still managed by Vicente del Bosque, one of the winningest persons in the sport both as player and manager and also both in club and country competitions. The team also boasts off familiar global names at every position in the pitch, both their starting unit and backups.
Consider the following: Iker Casillas, David De Gea, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Cesar Azpilicueta, Marc Bartra, Hector Bellerín, Juanfran, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, Koke, Thiago, Pedro, Nolito, Aritz Aduriz, and Alvaro Morata.
And these names are just the tip of the iceberg for del Bosque’s side with Diego Costa, Juan Mata, Isco, Dani Carvajal, Iñigo Lekue, Saúl Ñíguez, Paco Alcacer, and Munir El Haddadi still not called to play. Spain could have fielded in two national teams to join this tourney and both are going to be competitive.
On paper, they are once again the favorites to win this entire tournament along with Germany and Belgium.
They are coming off a 0-1 loss to Georgia in their most recent warmup friendly, though, as per ESPN. But it looks like the slight bump on the road does not matter to them heading on to their first game of Euro 2016.
Meanwhile, Czech Republic dropped a close 1-2 decision to Korea Republic in their send-off game on Sunday, as per Goal.
Head coach Pavel Vrba’s team is considered as the weakest in a group also composed of powerhouses Croatia and Turkey and pulling off even a single win in the group stage would be an accomplishment.
They will be bannered by two veteran Arsenal players, namely goalkeeper Petr Cech and team captain Tomas Rosicky, and Hertha Berlin winger Vladimir Darida, but apart from these three everyone in the roster is not a big-name.
In an ideal world, Spain would win over Czech Republic by a mile.
The predicted result is a 2-1 romp for Spain.
Spain starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): De Gea; Bellerín, Pique, Ramos, Azpilicueta; Iniesta, Bruno, Busquets; Nolito, Morata, Pedro
Czech Republic starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Cech; Kaderabek, Sivok, Kadlec, Limbersky; Pavelka, Darida; Sural, Rosicky, Krejci; Necid
