David Silva: I don't mind where I play for Spain

Jun 13, 2012 2:42:00 PM

The Manchester City midfielder defended his national team's performance in the 1-1 draw with Italy, and stated that he has no preference as to where he plays on the pitch

David Silva admits that he does not mind if he plays in midfield or up front for Spain at Euro 2012.

Coach Vicente del Bosque received some criticism for starting the draw against Italy without a recognised striker, but the former Valencia man believes it was a solid start to the competition, and stated that he is happy to fulfil any role in the side.

"It doesn't matter whether I play as a striker or a midfielder," he told assembled reporters at a press conference.

	SILVA TO NET IN SPAIN WIN?
7/1	A Spain win over the Republic of Ireland with David Silva to score is 7/1 with William Hill

"Starting as a forward just means I have more chances on goal. It's entirely up to Del Bosque.

"I thought we made a good tournament debut. Both the opponent and the grass stood in the way of us achieving victory, though that is no excuse. Italy played very well."

After Sunday's draw, the Manchester City playmaker knows that La Roja will likely have to beat both Croatia and Republic of Ireland, and hope that the Azzurri drop points, if they are to qualify in first place for the quarter-finals.

"How this group pans out depends entirely on us. We are looking for two wins in our next two games to try to finish top of the group," he continued.

The 26-year-old warned his team-mates to approach their next encounter against Ireland with caution, despite the Boys in Green's 3-1 loss against Slaven Bilic's side on Sunday night.

"The Irish may sit back a little more, but they can field several players who have English Premier League experience. We would do well to watch out for Robbie Keane, who is experienced. He won't be alone, however."

The game against Ireland kicks off at 20:45CET on Thursday.

David Silva to score and Spain to beat Republic of Ireland is 7/1 with William Hill

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German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.

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But what do the fans think? Well, yesterday Goal’s roving reporter Kris Voakes went along to the Uefa Champions Festival, which is being staged at the Olympic Park in Stretford, and he spoke with supporters from both sides.

Johannes, Munich, told Goal: "We haven't lost to Dortmund this season, and though we lost two finals [in 2010 and 2012], we are hoping the third time is a charm.

"Last year the English stole our trophy," interrupted his friend Benjamin, "but we are going to take in back to Munich where it belongs."

But Dortmund fan Nicolas says the loss of Mario Gotze to injury is not too much of a concern for Jurgen Klopp's side: “We have Marco Reus and Robert Lewandowski, and yes, we will be fine without Gotze. We will win 2-0.”

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However, Dortmund simply cannot be discounted. They relish the role of underdogs and are not in the least bit afraid of their illustrious rivals, having now gone six Bundesliga games without defeat against die Roten. The last time these two met in a final, in last season’s DFB Pokal, Dortmund ran out 5-2 winners. As coach Jurgen Klopp pointed out this week: “We’re not the best team in the world, but we can beat the best team in the world."

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Bayern, of course, start as overwhelming favourites to prevail this evening, and understandably so. Not only did they mercilessly batter Barcelona into a shockingly tame capitulation at Camp Nou, they are also coming off the back of a record-breaking Bundesliga campaign which they finished a staggering 25 points clear of runners-up Dortmund, whom they are unbeaten against in four meetings this season.

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So, what do you think? Who will prevail this evening? Are Bayern going to banish the memory of last year’s devastating and inexplicable loss to Chelsea at the Allianz Arena? Or are Dortmund going to defy the odds once again and go from the brink of bankruptcy to Champions League winners in just eight years? Get in touch via Facebook and Twitter and I’ll be sure to post the best comments in here.

4:39 PM BST

Finals do not get much more appetising either. What we have here tonight is a game between the two best sides in Europe this season. There is just simply no disputing that. Dortmund have been beaten just once on their remarkable run to the final (quite the feat when you consider they were grouped with Real Madrid, Manchester City and Ajax), while Bayern have sparked giddy talk of a new era of die Roten dominance akin that enjoyed by the Bavarians in the 1970s by dismantling the likes of Juventus and, in particular, Barcelona on their way to Wembley.

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