UKRAINE v TUNISIA, SPAIN v SAUDI ARABIA MATCH PREVIEW
Andy Morgan

Group H Permutations

Spain have already qualified for the knock-out stages and need a point from their game against Saudi Arabia to guarantee finishing in top spot. Ukraine can pip them to top spot if they beat Tunisia but must rely on the Saudis beating Spain and a six-goal goal deficit to be made up. If Tunisia beat Ukraine they will qualify in second place ahead of the European side unless Saudi Arabia win by two goals more than the Tunisians, in which case they will qualify ahead of them on goal difference. If Tunisia and Ukraine draw then Ukraine will qualify unless Saudi Arabia beat Spain by more than four.

Ukraine v Tunisia

The major news for the European side is the return of defender Vladyslav Vashchyuk from his one match suspension obtained for being sent off in their opening 4-0 thumping at the hands of Spain. This good news is tempered by bad however with another defender, Volodymyr Yesersky being ruled out of this game with the same thigh injury that kept him out of the Saudi Arabia tie.

The return of Vashchyuk, their most capped defender, will be a major boost for the Ukrainian side as they look to qualify for the second round in their first ever World Cup. Vashchyuk was sent off for pulling back Spanish striker Fernando Torres in the penalty area, a foul that resulted in the awarding of a penalty that led to Spain's third goal. His dismissal was harsh but his positioning leading up to the incident was suspect and he will have to lead the backline far more expertly against the Tunisians if they are to obtain the point they require to progress.

Yezerskiy also played in defence that day and it is hard to tell whether he was sorely missed against the Saudis due to their woeful attacking play during that game. It's hard to judge a defence on the back of a 4-0 capitulation followed by a clean sheet suffice to say that the Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk full-back is considered one of the strongest centre-backs for his country and is often first name on their teamsheet. He will be sorely missed but a backline that contained Andriy Nesmachniy, Andriy Rusol and Vyacheslav Sviderskiy had more than enough experience to see off an admittedly weak Saudi attack. Vashchuyk is likely to take the place of Sviderskiy in the backline today.

Francileudo Santos, Tunisia's Brazilian born striker is yet to play in this World Cup after an ongoing calf injury and, despite a scan, is unlikely to play in this match either. The Toulouse striker picked up the injury in a pre-tournament friendly game and with eighteen goals to his name is the highest scorer in the Tunisia squad.

One behind is Troyes attacker Zied Jaziri. He scored the opener in the 2-2 draw against Saudi Arabia and will be looking to add to his talley this afternoon. Bolton Wanderers defender Radhi Jaidi and Nurnburg midfielder Jawher Mnari are the other two players who have scored for Tunisia during this campaign meaning that one goal each has come from the attack, the midfield and the defence. Jaziri will be looking to restore this balance but he is the lone attacker on show for the match.

Tunisia coach Roger Lemerre is urging his players to go for the victory they are seeking from the off. He blames poor concentration for the reason why they have only picked up one point from two games, citing the Saudi Arabia game as the major stumbling block. Midfielder Mnari is also aware of their lack of fitness and fears this could be a problem particularly against Andriy Shevchenko and Andriy Voronin who will both be searching for goals. Concentration and fitness are imperative against these two quality players and if the Tunisian's lose it, expect them to be on the end of a high-scoring defeat. A highly confident and fluid Ukranian side is what meets them in Tunisia and you feel that whoever wins this will be the side that has won the concentration battle.

Spain v Saudi Arabia

The classy Spaniards versus the poor Arabians really should be no contest. The Spaniards have two wins from two so far, overpowering Ukraine 4-0 in their opener whilst notching up three goals in twenty second half minutes to pummel the mentally tiring Tunisians.

The Saudis, for the second World Cup running, have been labelled the worst team in the Tournament and looking at their gutless capitulation against Ukraine, this criticism seems fair. Their weakness was Al-Ittihad goalkeeper Mabrouk Zaid who kept slipping at vital moments. This was surprising considering the vastly experienced Mohammed Al-Daeya was on the bench. In a day that started out poorly and just got worse, they really needed the player with 181 caps to hold a steady fort at the back. Alas Saudi coach Marcos Paqueta decided not to replace Zaid and four goals were scored past his team. He is not expected to make the same mistake again, with Al Deayea likely to earn his 182nd cap against Spain.

They are not out of this group however, they can sneak through into second place if they win and the Tunisia versus Ukraine result goes in their favour. Pauleta was satisfied with ther 4-0 defeat against Ukraine, citing tiredness as the major factor for their loss. He believes that the Saudis gave it their all against the European side and were just not good enough. This hardly bodes well for them against a Spain side that defeated Ukraine by the same score that Ukraine defeated the Saudis.

Pauleta is not giving up however and is determined to send his side out against Spain to fight. Citing Ukraine's bouncing back from a similar defeat to Spain, Pauleta believes that there is a chance they can beat the Spaniards.

They need goals however hence Saudi skipper Sami Al-Jaber will start alongside Yassir Al-Qahtani up front. Before going into this tournament they had seventy-seven goals between them in over two hundred appearances. They are the top scorers in the Saudi's squad by some considerable distance and also have the vast experience that is required against a stubborn Spanish defence.

That defence has only conceded one goal in the tournament so far and only conceded three in their qualifying campaign. Statistics here count for little however as Spain are expected to make wholesale changes to avoid picking up injuries and suspensions before the Second Round. This policy may provide the lifeline to Saudi Arabia although with players determined to try and win a place in Luis Aragones side it may actually prove more difficult to break them down.

One such player who hopes to impress is Andres Iniesta of Barcelona. Just drafted into the national side, the twenty-two year old is yearning to make his debut in the World Cup and his versitility in midfield may prove to his advantage later in the competiton. At present he is the fourth choice player for his central midfield position but he is aware that against Tunisia it was the contribution of substitutes Raul, Cesc Fabregas and Sanchez Joaquin that allowed the Spainih to score three late goals.

Spain have considerable strength-in-depth this year and are showing a passion and togetherness that has not been seen in Spanish teams of the past. Every player wants to play in the side and competition is fierce. This is highlighted when the likes of Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas is not picked for the starting eleven. He impressed against Tunisia when he came on and is expected to start against the Saudis.

Fernando Torres is likely to be rested with Raul and a pushed forward Jose Antonio Reyes leading the front line. Santiago Canizares will replace Iker Casillas in goal, a like-for-like swap when it comes to experience and the big match occassion whilst Spain's defence will be transformed with Salgado, Juanito, Marchena and Lopez expected to start. Of these Salgado has the most match experience, with fifty caps and plenty of games for Real Madrid under his belt. Despite these changes however, you'd expect Spain to be far to strong for the Saudis.

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