Barcelona star Sergio Busquets is only sure starter in Spain's talented midfield

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  • Two neighbours with three Silvas between them begin their quest for World Cup gold on Friday as Iberian nations Portugal take on Spain in Group B at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.

    Openers inevitably carry great gravitas as they tend to shape the group but given the potential trickiness of both Iran and Morocco, neither of these two giants can afford a slip up.

    It’s a blockbuster clash with some of the best players in the world on show, so here, we examine some of the key tactics which will shape the narrative.

    SPAIN’S MIDFIELD MAKE-UP

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    La Roja are a beautifully balanced side. Their fire and ice centre-back pairing of Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique form a formidable centre, the full-backs Jordi Alba and Alvaro Odriozola are energetic and enterprising, while Isco and David Silva provide boundless creation.

    The No9 is an obvious grey area but the same notion can also apply to the middle of the park – for different reasoning. While the options up front are a little short, for the three spots in the middle of the 4-3-3, there are up to seven choices.

    Sergio Busquets is a sure thing to slot in at No6 but ahead of him there are varying combinations. Koke and Saul Niguez have enjoyed outstanding campaigns at Atletico Madrid, Andres Iniesta as he showed against Argentina is still a slick operator at 34 while Thiago Alcantara is one of the best modern midfielders in the game.

    Iniesta and Thiago with Busquets is a mouthwatering combination so expect Fernando Hierro, having been handed the job at the last minute, to opt for the tried and tested.

    PORTUGAL’S BACK PROBLEMS

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    Pepe in 2016 was one of the world’s finest centre-backs but now at 35 and plying his football in Turkey after moving to Besiktas from Real Madrid last summer, he is a little suspect.

    It will worry Portugal fans immensely that he remains their leading defensive talent because the options to partner him at the back are dubious.

    Jose Fonte was atrocious at West Ham and now plays in China while Bruno Alves struggled with Rangers.

    Fernando Santos hoped youth would bail him out but Benfica’s Ruben Dias, 21, missed the March friendlies through injury and was only able to make his debut last month.

    That would leave Alves as first-choice but at 36, a centre-back pairing of a combined age of 71 hardly inspires a lot of confidence.

    Even with all the disarray of Julen Lopetegui’s exit, Spain will surely be licking their lips.

    FULL-BACKS ON THE ATTACK

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    One interesting dynamic for this fixture will be how the two sets of full-backs are utilised.

    Spain are narrow in attack as they aim to overload the middle areas which means any natural width has to come from the full-backs.

    Dani Carvajal and Jordi Alba both have bottomless tanks of energy and a deadly delivery but their intelligence to hang back and cover when the other pushes up is a key facet of Spain’s play.

    Of course, Odriozola will occupy the right against Portugal due to Carvajal’s injury absence but he is more than capable of filling in with his competent mind powering a sprinter-like physique.

    The responsibility to provide quality in attack and chase back counters will be crucial for Spain.

    On the opposite side, Portugal are bolted to a 4-4-2 and given the weaknesses of the two centre-backs, Cedric Soares and Raphael Guerreiro will be required to help plug the inside and outside channels, restricting their ability to venture forward.

    It will mean less numbers in attack so the cat-and-mouse nature of the full-backs could form an interesting layer to the fixture.

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