SPAIN v TUNISIA - STICK WITH ON-SONG SPAIN
Jonathan Turner

Spain couldn't have made a more impressive start to the World Cup as they hammered Ukraine 4-0 but trying to weigh up the merit of that performance is far from easy.

The result was so out of character for both sides - Spain had struggled in qualifying when they somehow managed to finish behind Serbia & Montenegro - while Ukraine came into the tournament on the back of six clean sheets!

But perhaps the key for the Spanish was Luis Aragones' decision to go with three up front - Fernando Torres, David Villa and and Luis Garcia - while leaving Raul on the bench.

That proved a masterstroke as Spain - prompted by Xavi, Xabi Alonso and Marcos Senna in midfield - produced the best football of the tournament so far (at least until Argentina's masterclass against Serbia & Montenegro).

The 4-0 scoreline possibly flattered them slightly because Vladislav Vashchuk's ultra-harsh sending off when the score was 2-0 made Ukraine's task impossible.

But it does appear that Aragones has found a winning formula, a point which was underlined when he replaced Alonso and Villa with David Albelda and Raul respectively and saw his side struggle to hit the same heights.

With a clean bill of health since that game Spain will almost certainly go in with the same starting XI and, even though they've flattered to deceive so often in the past, it would be a brave person who opposes them against Tunisia.

The north African side needed a last-gasp equaliser from Radhi Jaidi to salvage a 2-2 draw with Saudi Arabia in their opening game and they are hardly in bullish mood ahead of this match, coach Roger Lemerre saying: "We can still afford to make one more mistake."

The injury to their Brazilian-born striker Francileudo Dos Santos continues to seriously hinder their chances and he's definitely out of Monday's game which is a massive blow considering his record of 18 goals in 28 games since being granted Tunisian citizenship in 2004.

Another win for Spain then has to be the recommendation but at the prices there's not enough incentive to get involved.

If there is an angle then the 11/1 chalked up about Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos getting on the scoresheet might just be worth a second look.

The 20-year-old has made a meteoric rise since his £19million signing from Sevilla a year ago and while he usually plays in the centre of defence for Madrid, he's employed at right-back for the national side ahead of his club club colleague Michel Salgado.

But he excelled in that role against Ukraine with a number of rampaging runs down the flank and found himself with a sight on goal on more than one occasion.

Unfortunately he could only manage to find the side netting rather than the back of the net but he's scored twice for Spain in his first 12 appearances and also grabbed four goals for Madrid in La Liga this season so should probably be nearer 6/1 than 11/1.

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By Bettingzone.co.uk
Used with permission.