Defending European Champions Spain take part in their final international friendly game ahead of Euro 2016 on Wednesday, when they play South Korea. Vicente Del Bosque has named his final 23-man squad for the tournament, and it needs to be seen how they fare ahead of the main event.
Del Bosque's side come into the game on the back of a 3-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in an international friendly match. Celta Vigo striker Nolito scored twice in the game, while Chelsea forward Pedro Rodriguez grabbed the other.
On Wednesday too, Spain, ranked No. 6 in the world by FIFA, are deemed favourites going into the match, but South Korea, ranked 54, cannot be underestimated.
Coached by Uli Stielike, the Taeguk Warriors have amazingly not suffered a defeat in any of their previous 16 international matches. "We will prepare to win and if we are not thinking about winning, then there is no need for us to go to Europe," said Stielike to the Yonhap News Agency ahead of the game against Spain.
"You know what's going to happen when you give up ball possession to Spain," the German coach continued. "We want to increase our ball possession against Spain and press our opponents with a high defensive line."
For Spain, Nolito is expected to start up front, following his impressive performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina. Barcelona players like Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets are expected to play a part in the game, while the players from Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid will be absent, owing to their presence in the Champions League final last Saturday.
For South Korea, Swansea midfielder Ki Sung-yeung and Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min are expected to play a part in the game. Only Ja-Cheol Koo and Joo-Ho Park are unavailable, owing to injuries.
Where to watch live
Spain vs South Korea is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. GMT (8 p.m. IST, 10:30 a.m. EST) on June 1 in Austria.
In the US, viewers can catch the game on ESPN 3 USA and ESPN Deportes TV. Online streaming will be available on Watch ESPN.
In Spain, the game will be broadcast on Cuatro.
There will be no broadcast of the game in India, UK and Ireland. The live scores, however, can be followed on twitter.
