World Cup Qualifying Preview: Belarus - Spain
Vicente del Bosque's side will look to secure a convincing victory against the eastern European minnow ahead of Tuesday's encounter with fellow Group I heavyweight France.
By Karthick Arvinth
Getty Images
| PROBABLE LINEUPS |
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BELARUS
 Vyeramko Marty'vich, Palyakow, Filipenko, Verkho'sov Drahun, Kislyak Bardachow, Bressan, A Hleb Rodionov |
SPAIN
 Casillas Arbeloa, Busquets, Ramos, Alba Xavi, Alonso, Fabregas Silva, Torres, Iniesta |
Belarus midfielders Anton Putsila and Timofei Kalachev will miss Friday's World Cup qualifier against Spain at the Dynama Stadium in Minsk. The injured duo join forward Leonid Kovel on the sidelines, leaving BATE Borisov's Vitali Rodionov as the only recognized striker in the squad.
Coach Georgy Kondratiev could name up to six players from the BATE side that beat Bayern Munich in the Champions League last week in his starting lineup, with Aliaksandr Hleb expected to make his first international appearance since February 2011.
Sergio Busquets looks set to start as a makeshift center back for Spain, which is without injured Barcelona pair Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique. Raul Albiol and Javi Martinez could also provide defensive cover, but coach Vicente del Bosque's training formation on Wednesday had Busquets operating in central defense alongside Sergio Ramos.
Chelsea striker Fernando Torres should start ahead of Roberto Soldado in attack, while playmaker Santi Cazorla may feature following recent impressive performances for Arsenal.
| DID YOU KNOW? |
- Belarus, ranked 87th in the world, lies bottom of Group I, having lost its first two qualifiers away to Georgia and France, respectively.
- The Eastern European outfit is on a four-match winless run at home (D2, L2).
- Aliaksandr Hleb (pictured right) spent one season in the Spanish Primera Division, making 19 league appearances for Barcelona in 2008-09.
- Spain has won its last 23 World Cup and European Championship qualifiers - a run that stretches back to September 2007.
- La Roja are on a 46-match unbeaten run in World Cup qualification matches. Their last defeat in a World Cup qualifier came away to Denmark in March 1993.
- Sergio Ramos needs five more caps to become only the seventh Spaniard to make 100 international appearances.
Field Report
Reader's Predictions
Top 3 Predictions
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Belarus 0-4 Spain
- 18.17 %
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Belarus 0-3 Spain
- 14.18 %
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Belarus 0-8 Spain
- 12.39 %
| WCQ 2014 (UEFA) (WCQE) | Oct 12, 2012 | Belarus 0 - Spain 4 |
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Belarus
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| Mar 25, 2013 | Canada 0 - Belarus 2 | FR |
| Mar 21, 2013 | Jordan 1 - Belarus 0 | FR |
| Feb 6, 2013 | Hungary 1 - Belarus 1 | FR |
| Nov 14, 2012 | Israel 1 - Belarus 2 | FR |
| Oct 16, 2012 | Belarus 2 - Georgia 0 | WCQE |
Spain
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| Mar 26, 2013 | France 0 - Spain 1 | WCQE |
| Mar 22, 2013 | Spain 1 - Finland 1 | WCQE |
| Feb 6, 2013 | Spain 3 - Uruguay 1 | FR |
| Nov 14, 2012 | Panama 1 - Spain 5 | FR |
| Oct 16, 2012 | Spain 1 - France 1 | WCQE |
| - | Iker Casillas | |
| 17 | Arbeloa | Defender |
| 18 | Jordi Alba | Defender |
| 15 | Sergio Ramos | Defender |
| 16 | Busquets | Midfielder |
| 20 | Santi Cazorla | Midfielder |
| 10 | Cesc Fàbregas | Midfielder |
| 14 | Xabi Alonso | Midfielder |
| 8 | Xavi | Midfielder |
| 21 | David Silva | Midfielder |
| 7 | Pedro | Striker |
| 23 | José Reina Paez | Goalkeeper |
| 12 | Víctor Valdés | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Raúl Albiol Tortajada | Defender |
| - | Juanfran | |
| - | Monreal | Defender |
| - | Beñat | |
| 6 | Andrés Iniesta Luján | Midfielder |
| - | Javi Martínez | Midfielder |
| 22 | Jesús Navas González | Midfielder |
| - | Fernando Torres | |
| 7 | David Villa | Striker |
| - | Roberto Soldado |
Results
Live
Final
scheduled
Suspended
Cancelled
Postponed
Match News
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Edin Dzeko Striker Man City |
7 | 0 |
|
Tomer Hemed Striker Mallorca |
6 | 0 |
|
Mesut Özil Midfielder Real Madrid |
5 | 2 |
|
Wayne Rooney Striker Man United |
5 | 1 |
|
Robin van Persie Striker Man United |
5 | 1 |
