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

David meets Goliath at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday night. World and European champions Spain face the Polynesian Islands nation of Tahiti in a Group B match at the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Vicente del Bosque's squad is a veritable who's who of the world's best footballers, across every position. In contrast, Eddy Eteata has only one professional footballer in his entire squad - Marama Vahirua, who plays in France. Spain are ranked No 1 by FIFA and Tahiti are ranked 138.

Expect goals galore in this match, with Nigeria's 6-1 hammering, in the first round of group games, the standard.

Where to Watch Spain v Tahiti Live

Kick-off is set for 8pm BST. Live coverage is on BBC Three and BBC Red Button HD. Follow the match live, via real time Internet updates, on the Confederations Cup Web site here.

Overview

Spain stroll into this game after a comfortable 2-1 defeat of Uruguay in their first game. Goals from Barcelona forward Pedro and Valencia striker Roberto Soldado gave the champions all three points, although they did struggle towards the end. Liverpool striker Luis Suarez gave them a nervous finish, after curling a superb 88th minute free kick into the net.

Nevertheless, del Bosque would have been pleased with the result and the performance. Spain had a staggering 75% possession rate and has 17 chances to the South American's four. And, with all due respect to Tahiti, the former Real Madrid boss will have no reason to expect anything other than a massive win and all three points. The win will give Spain the maximum of six points from the first two games and ensure a semi final berth from Group B.

In terms of overall form, Spain have not lost a competitive game since the Swiss shocked them in the opening game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. They have won all four of their games this calendar year, scoring nine times in the process.

Meanwhile, Tahiti should have had their morale shot after a disastrous defeat to the Super Eagles. But the mere fact they are playing in the Confederations Cup and will face the world champions is reason enough for celebration.

Nevertheless, Eteata is aware that unless there is significant improvement, his side could slip to an even larger defeat this time around. The defence was particularly poor (obviously) against Nigeria and he will expect more organisation and commitment from his back line.

The Tahitians received vociferous support from the entire stadium in their last match and can expect the same level of backing in this game. Will that be enough to cause absolutely the biggest upset in the history of football... possibly even all sport? Unlikely. But it should make for a brilliant atmosphere and a cracking game.

What the Coaches Say

Vicente del Bosque (Spain): "We have prepared like we would for any other game. Get ready, know our game plan and study our rivals that we are going to have in front of us. We want to play good football and to win the game."

Eddy Eteata (Tahiti): "There is reason for concern after watching Spain's performance against Uruguay. Tactically, we need to be better than we were against Nigeria. And on a physical level, we'll need to be stronger in the challenge."

Team Form

Spain

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W W W W

• Last Match: Spain 2 - 1 Uruguay

Tahiti

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): L L W L L

• Last Match: Tahiti 1 - 6 Nigeria

Team News

Expect Spain to field a virtual second-string team, as del Bosque rotates to give squad players a chance and also rest key members for the semi final. That said, any squad which boasts Santi Cazorla, Fernando Torres, Javi Martinez, David Silva and David Villa as reserves is not to be trifled with.

What formation will Spain field? Eteata won't be very worried about that aspect of his preparation. Regardless of how they line up, Spain will enjoy nearly all of the possession. But, for arguments sake, expect a few experimental tweaks. Spain could line up with a three-man defence and a roving, holding midfielder - Martinez, for example, Xavi and Andres Iniesta will both probably be rested, meaning Juan Mata could join Cazorla and Silva in a very attack-minded and mobile midfield trio.

Up front, Soldado will hope to retain his place after scoring the decisive goal against Uruguay. Expect Villa and Torres to partner him up front, in what is, potentially, a devastating forward line.

Probable Line-Up: Casillas; Pique, Albiol, Sergio Ramos; Javi Martinez; Mata, Silva, Cazorla, J Navas; Villa, Torres, Soldado

If Tahiti attack, they are likely to be slaughtered. If they defend, they are likely to be slaughtered as well. Eteata really doesn't have too many options available, except maybe to pack five or six defenders across the back-line and hope to trouble Spain's midfield on the counter. They did try that against Nigeria though... it didn't work too well.

Line-Up from Last Match: Samin; Ludivion, Vallar, Altamal, J Teheau, Simon Vincent; Vahirua, Caroine, Bourebare, Chong Hue; Alvin Teheau