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Spain are making their very last stand at this year’s World Cup after a disastrous campaign which saw them lose to Chile and be demolished by the Netherlands. The Furia Roja now have the chance to bow out gracefully and prove to the world that there is still life within this team, while many are already thinking about the future of the squad and the bench.
Manager Vicente Del Bosque, who has announced that he would be willing to step down from the team if the decision is made, is expected to bring in some fresh legs into the starting line-up. Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas might sit on the bench and be replaced by either Liverpool’s Pepe Reina or Manchester United’s David de Gea. Koke might also start on midfield while there is also speculation regarding the inclusion of Manchester United’s Juan Mata and Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla in the starting team.
Australia are also eliminated from the World Cup after suffering two straight losses as well, but the Socceroos did manage to impress in both matches and almost left with a result against group leaders Netherlands. The Aussies will definitely be looking to leave with their heads held high but manager Ange Postecoglou will be missing the services of his top scorer Tim Cahill due to suspension.
KICK-OFF: Monday, 5pm
PAST MEETINGS…
These sides have never faced each other.
STATS…
This is the first time these two teams have squared off.
Former Everton striker Tim Cahill has scored three goals in his last three World Cup matches. He is also the only Australian player who scored in three World Cups. He is suspended for this match however.
The Socceroos have only won two of their last 12 World Cup matches and lost seven.
Spain have conceded seven goals in the World Cup so far – one less than the total they conceded at the 2010 World Cup, Euro 2008 and 2012 combined.
Show all 15 1 /15The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Yuichi Nishimura gives Fred a penalty The opening game of the World Cup between Brazil and Croatia was meant to be all about the hosts, but it was Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura who stole the show. With the scores level at 1-1 and Croatia looking as likely to take the lead as the team in yellow, Nishimura gave an incredibly soft penalty after minimal contact between Dejan Lovren and Fred. Neymar, who perhaps should have been sent off earlier in the game for an elbow on Luka Modric, stepped up to score his second of the match and Brazil eventually won the match 3-1.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Finally, justice for Mexico Mexico completely outplayed a poor Cameroon side but only after not one but two disallowed goals for Giovani Dos Santos. The former Tottenham striker had a volley and a header disallowed despite replays suggesting both should have stood. Thankfully Oribe Peralta scored during the second half and Mexico won the match.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far The pantomime villain The 5-1 defeat inflicted on Spain by the Netherlands was perhaps shocking enough, but the greatest moment of controversy came when pantomime villain Diego Costa appeared to aim a head-butt at Bruno Martins Indi. Being booed throughout by the locals due to his switching nationality, the soon-to-be Chelsea striker appeared to move his head towards the Netherlands player.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Hart goes mental at ball boy Perhaps angered at being completely duped by an Andrea Pirlo free-kick that thankfully for England hit the bar, or maybe just desperate to get the game going again, Hart went wild as he looked to retrieve the ball. The Manchester City goalkeeper screamed and swore at the poor ball boy behind the goal.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Just because your losing A superb performance by Joel Campbell not only earned Costa Rica a win against Uruguay, it also saw him given a good kick by Maximiliano Pereira. The Uruguay defender put in a spiteful challenge on the Arsenal striker and waas shown the first red card of the World Cup.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Play on Thanks to the referee, this was a moment of controversy avoided. With the scores level at 1-1, Ecuador had a great chance to take the lead in injury time. But after a superb defensive block by Valon Behrami, the Swiss broke. A dreadful challenge went in but referee Ravshan Irmatov waved play on and seconds later there were jubilant scenes as substitute Haris Seferovic rifled into the net.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Goal line technology Making its first appearance at a World Cup, Fifa have been making the most of the goal line technology at their disposal. Goals that have clearly crossed the line have been replayed in great detail, just to confirm they have. But during France's win over Honduras the technology caused confusion, particularly for BBC commentator Jonathan Pearce. Karim Benzema's initial shot was shown not to be a goal, but when the cameras were rolled forward, it was shown that goalkeeper Noel Valladares had nudged the ball over the line. Quite simply it was a goal, but it still left a few people perplexed, particularly the former Robot Wars commentator.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Broken nose Clint Dempsey has always been something of a hard man. The USA forward once told of how he tried to punch a teacher. But it seems the former Fulham man can take it as well as dish it out. After putting his team into an early lead against Ghana, the Stars and Stripes captain broke his nose after a collision with John Boye. He played on.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Pepe plonker Pepe has never professed to be a mildly mannered defender, but even his actions against Germany were shocking. A coming together with Thomas Mueller saw the Germany striker making the most of the situation, going down rather dramatically. Angered by this, the Portugal defender decided to make sure there really was some damage done by pushing his head towards the Bayern Munich midfielder. It led to a straight red card and contributed to Portugal being mauled 4-0. To rub salt in Pepe's wounds, Mueller scored a hat-trick.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Deja vu for Capello Fabio Capello could have been forgiven for thinking he'd see it all before during Russia's first game. The match with South Korea ended 1-1 and involved an horrendous goalkeeping mistake by Igor Akinfeev, bringing back echoes of England's opener against the United States four years ago in which Rob Green let the ball trickle into his net.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Marcelo dive Perhaps encouraged by the refereeing mistakes in Brazil's favour against Croatia, when the hosts were struggling to break down Mexico, Marcelo took a theatrical dive in the box. It was the worst bit of simulation this World Cup had seen, and thankfully the referee agreed.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Really disgusting Cameroon The actions of Alex Song and Benoit Assou-Ekotto were labelled 'really disgusting' by their own coach after Cameroon's 4-0 defeat to Croatia. Song was sent off for a shocking elbow on Mario Mandzukic, but things really descended into chaos when Assou-Ekotto became involved in an on-pitch argument... with his own team-mate!
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far The end of the Spanish reign Having won the last World Cup and the European Championships either side of it, the end of Spain's dominance came in shocking style. Having been whipped 5-1 by the Netherlands, a result was needed against Chile. But the tiki-taka that once mesmerised audiences looked flat and uninspired. Chile won the game 2-0 and Spain's defence of their crown was over before it really got going.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Luis Suarez bites again The Uruguayan striker has been built up as one of the most lethal finishers at the World Cup, and rightly so, but he shocked the world when he appeared to bite Italy's Giorgio Chiellini during the 1-0 victory over Italy. It was the third time Suarez had been involved in such an incident, having previously been found guilty of biting PSV Eindhoven’s Otman Bakkal and Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea in recent years.
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The most controversial and shocking moments of the World Cup so far Beam me up Fabio Igor Akinfeev makes his second appearance here but on this occasion it wasn't his fault. According to Fabio Capello, the Russian goalkeeper was blinded by a laser beam shone in his eyes from someone in the crowd during the build-up to Algeria's equaliser in their 1-1 game. It was a result that saw Russia exit the World Cup.
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ODDS…
Australia to win: 7.1
Spain to win: 2.5
Draw: 4.1
TV: Live on ITV at 5pm
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