WORLD CUP FAVORITE SPAIN FACES STIFF CHALLENGE FROM SURPRISING PARAGUAY

The second quarterfinal game on Saturday will match pre-World Cup betting favorite Spain against surprising Paraguay.  Spain got off to a poor start in group play, losing to Switzerland 1-0 in their opening match.  They recovered to win their next two games, however, and outlasted Portugal 1-0 in the first game of the knockout round.  Paraguay wasn’t considered much of a threat entering the tournament, but looked very tough defensively in the opening round with a win and two draws.  They allowed only one goal in those three games—and that was due to a goalkeeper error. Aside from that miscue, their tenacious defense has been nearly impenetrable and could cause problems for the Spaniards here.  

Spain certainly has one of the most talented teams in the competition, but their record in World Cup play hasn’t been particularly impressive.  They’ve qualified for nine consecutive World Cups, but have never made it past the quarterfinals—and they did that in 1950.  They did win the Euro 2008 Competition and posted a perfect 10 for 10 record in their World Cup Qualification matches.
 
In terms of personnel, there’s really not a weak area on the roster and the midfield may be Spain’s best area. In terms of talent alone they rank with any in the world led by Barcelona’s Andrés Iniesta and Xavi.  Up front, the team has been paced by David Villa though teammate Fernando Torres hasn’t been particularly effective in World Cup play to date.

Paraguay has looked solid on defense, but they may lack the playmakers up front necessary to beat Spain.  Enrique Vera and Cristian Riveros are both excellent finishers, but they often don’t get the opportunities they need in Paraguay’s defensive oriented style.   It’s doubtful that Paraguay will get blown out, but it’s also difficult to see where the goals will come from necessary to beat a Spanish side that looks to be getting better as the tournament progresses.

There’s always a chance that Paraguay could play a similar style to the one employed by Switzerland in the opening game and try to get the game into added time.  More likely, however, Spain will find a way to score and finish the game in regulation.  We look for Spain to eke out a 1-0 victory meaning this one should stay UNDER the total.  Paraguay needed to prevail on penalty kicks against Japan to make it this far, and Spain has a considerably more formidable offense.