Spain's World Cup title defense did not get off to the start the team had originally planned. Spain's game against the Netherlands can be chalked up to humiliation after they were blown out 5-1 in the opening game. Now the team enters a must-win game against Chile if they plan on escaping Group B and moving on to defend their title. After Chile beat Australia in their opening match, it might now be as easy as originally assumed.
Spain is planning to change up formations against Chile after clashing styles with the Netherlands. The team is aware that Chile will front a 3-5-2 formation and they must adjust. Manager Vicente del Bosque hinted that he will make adjustments prior to the game in order to avoid disaster once again. However, the manager is faced with the decision to either change completely or have faith his veteran squad can withstand a confident Chile roster. Iker Casillas came in as an impact player for Spain and proceeded to have one of his worst games yet this season. Unfortunately, his replacement David de Gea is injured.
Chile is filled with confidence and does not view Spain as a threat. While the team did not look top-notch in their win over Australia, they did enough to give people plenty of faith they can upset the reigning champions. The team is completely healthy after the first game and will likely stick with the same lineup and game plan that proved successful against Australia. With Spain not having much of an aerial attack so running with two center-backs will be fine.
Chile will try to avoid the late-game let up that happened against Australia. The team got up two goals quickly, but let them back in before Jean Beausejour needed to hold off the potential comeback. The team is stressing intensity, hoping their lineup can continue to grow in the tournament without changing drastically like Spain will.
Chile has not beaten Spain in 10 games. History is not in their favor, but momentum is which might mean more for the team. Spain will comeback looking to prove something after getting clearly embarrassed in the opening game. Can the South American squad take down the reigning World Cup champs and end their chances at a repeat title?
