FIFA Confederations Cup 2013: Spain v Uruguay, Where to Watch Live, Preview and Team News

World and European champions Spain play Uruguay in the first Group B match of the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. The match is to be played at the Arena Pernambuco in the port city of Recife in Brazil.

The host nation comfortably beat Asian champions Japan 3-0 in the opening game of the tournament on Saturday night, with new Barcelona signing Neymar in excellent form. Brazil and Japan are in Group A, with Italy and Mexico for company. The latter two face off in their first game of the competition at the Estadio Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro.

Meanwhile, the other two teams in Group B - Tahiti and Nigeria - play at the Estadio Mineirao on Monday night.

Where to Watch Spain v Uruguay Live

Kick-off is scheduled for 11pm BST. Live coverage will be on BBC One and BBC One HD. Follow the match via live commentary on FIFA's Confederations Cup website here.

Overview

Spain come into this dress rehearsal for the 2014 FIFA World Cup having won an unprecedented three major titles in succession. The two-time European champions and defending World Cup champions are the top ranked country in the world and boast, arguably, one of the finest domestic leagues in Europe.

Vicente Del Bosque's men will consider themselves strong favourites to qualify for the semi-final, particularly with minnows Tahiti still to come. But once in the knock-out stage, Spain will have unfinished business... not only have La Roja never won this title but the last time, in 2009 in South Africa, they were eliminated in the semi-final by the United States.

Spain eventually recovered to beat the hosts 3-2 in the play-off for third place but anything other than a title win in Brazil this year will be a disaster.

The Spanish armada come into this game unbeaten in this calendar year. They beat Ireland and Haiti last week but, more importantly, they've already played the inaugural World Cup champions in recent months - at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha. A goal from Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas and a brace from his Nou Camp team mate Pedro gave Spain a 3-1 win.

Spain have not lost a competitive game since the shock 0-1 defeat to Switzerland in the opening group game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Don't expect that record to be broken just yet.

Meanwhile, Uruguay will bank on a fleet of high-profile stars plying their trade in Europe's elite clubs and leagues for a good show in Brazil. The South Americans will obviously be attuned to the weather conditions and playing surfaces and will probably have more local support.

But the national team has struggled since the Copa America win in 2011 and have not been particularly impressive in qualifying for next year's World Cup. They are, at present, fifth in the qualifying table, behind Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile; Brazil have already qualified as hosts.

Uruguay come into this game after a narrow 1-0 win over Venezuela in a qualifier, with Edinson Cavani the hero. The Napoli striker will be joined by Liverpool's Luis Suarez up front and the two will be expected to provide goals and inspiration.

Oscar Tabárez's men have won only one of their last seven competitive fixtures and the pressure will be on them to deliver against perhaps the greatest national team of recent decades.

Team Form

Spain

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W W W W
• Last Match: Spain 2 - 0 Ireland

Uruguay

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W L D L
• Last Match: Venezuela 0 - 1 Uruguay

Team News

Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso was dropped for this tournament, presumably to give the deep-lying midfielder a break. In his absence, expect Barcelona's string-puller Xavi Hernandez to assume an even greater responsibility.

Spain (and Barcelona's) tiki-taka style will once again be on show but the big question is - in what form? Del Bosque has perfected the art of playing without a central striker. He does have Roberto Soldado, David Villa and Fernando Torres at his disposal but a more flexible combination with David Silva, Andres Iniesta and Fabregas, ahead of Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Javi Martinez might appeal.

The manager is spoilt for choice in the attacking midfield slots, with Silva, Iniesta, Fabregas, Pedro, Juan Mata and Santi Cazorla all jostling for game time.

At the back, despite his tumultuous season at the Santiago Bernabeu, Del Bosque has made it clear Iker Casillas will be his No 1. Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique will likely feature in the back four, although it remains to be seen if the former is pushed into the centre to accommodate Cesar Azpilicueta at right-back, particularly since there is no Carlos Puyol or an acceptable replacement.

Probable Line-Up: Casillas; Azpilicueta, Ramos, Pique, Jordi Alba; Sergio Busquets, Javi Martinez; Xavi; Andres Iniesta, Fabregas; Pedro

Tabárez has two star names up front and will need them both to fire. Cavani and Suarez have been linked to a number of top clubs this summer, with Napoli and Liverpool seemingly unable to hold on to their strikers. Good performances here will not only add to their transfer value but also support increased wage demands.

Elsewhere, Uruguay does not have a particularly remarkable squad. The Atlético Madrid pair of Diego Godin and Cristian Rodriguez will be key, as will Inter Milan's Walter Gargano in the centre of the park. Southampton's Gaston Ramirez could be a surprise performer. The creative midfielder has had a good season with the Saints, scoring five goals and creating three more from 26 Premier League games.

Probable Line-Up: Muslera; Lugano, Godin, Victor Pereira, Martin Caceres; Walter Gargano, Cristian Rodriguez; Diego Perez; Gaston Ramirez; Cavani, Suarez