SPAIN

Formation: 4-4-2

TAB Sportsbet: $5

The Coach: Vincente del Bosque

Respected by all and popular with the squad, del Bosque has done the one thing his predecessors hadn’t: he saw it wasn’t broken so didn’t fix it. He simply fine-tuned the things that were a little scratchy and turned this Spanish team into a consistently well-oiled machine.

The Captain: Iker Casillas

They call him ‘Saint Iker’ and deservedly so. A veteran of Spanish football, the shot-stopper has always been consistent and has always matched it with the best keepers worldwide. His reflexes are sharp and he will be looking to take this talented team of stars all the way in South Africa.

Captin Courageous... Can Iker take Spain all the way?

The X-Factor: David Villa

He just completed a multi-million dollar switch to Barcelona and the diminutive striker will be full of confidence coming into the Cup. Not only does he bag goals for fun, but he rarely misses the target. He takes his opportunities and can produce a goal out of nothing if somehow Spain can’t dominate all their opponents.

The Flaw: Side Backs

It’s very tough to find a weakness in this side, however, upon closer inspection their backline, it appears their side backs can be a soft spot. Sergio Ramos and Joan Capdevila who will likely start on the right and left flanks respectively, are not the most secure defenders. Ramos in particular likes to attack and has been constant to negativity of attacking too much at Real Madrid.

The Verdict: Semi-Finals

Arguably have Spain ever had a better side that has got rid of tags like ‘World’s biggest underperformers’. The midfield strikes the ball around like magicians and the strikers put the ball in the net. Puyol and Pique are strong and you’ve got your captain in goals. It’s hard to go past them and when you have the likes of Cesc Fabregas on the bench, you know you have a great team.

-

SWITZERLAND

Formation: 4-4-2

TAB Sportsbet: $151

The Coach: Ottmar Hitzfeld

He’s won two Swiss titles with Basel and the European Cup and Champions League in his coaching career. So the ability to win things is there. His reign started in terrible fashion, but the fact he managed to get his team together and still qualify top of their group is testament to Hitzfeld.

The Captain & The X-Factor: Alexander Frei

Frei will need to find goals for the Swiss.

One of the most underrated forwards in the world, Frei boasts the average of one goal every other game and has been impressive in his Swiss career. Not only does the striker bring goals to the national team, but he lifts the rest of his players. His ability to create and finish will be vital and the rest of his teammates will be hoping he can be the spark this team desperately needs, cause besides him they don’t show off anything to special.

The Flaw: Goals

This is why Frei is so important, they lack goals. The fact the only time they managed to score more than two goals during the whole campaign during qualification was against lowly Luxemburg is a concern. Their attacking options aside from the captain will be nothing opposition defences will be nervous about.

The Verdict: Group Stage

It’s hard to see the differences between this side and the one that went to Germany in 06’. They were unlucky in 2006 becoming the first team in World Cup history to be eliminated without scoring a goal (going out on pens to Ukraine), so there is reason to believe. However, that group in 06’ was arguably weaker than the one they will be in this time around.