Competition
High-flying Spain are set to kick off their World Cup journey against Africa's surprise package.
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Even in the expanded 48-team format, there are few matches at this summer's World Cup where the gap in prestige and anticipation is as stark as it is between Spain and Cape Verde.
Following underwhelming performances in the last three editions of the tournament, a youthful Spain demonstrated at Euro 2024 that they have entered a fresh chapter, with genuine promise to rival the accomplishments of their golden era from 2008 to 2012.
Their first opponent is a complete World Cup newcomer in the form of Cape Verde.
Spain vs Cape Verde score prediction
There is no polite way to put it: on paper, this should be a straightforward victory for Spain.
That is not meant as any slight against Cape Verde, who have secured their spot in the competition impressively through the African qualifying rounds.
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Manager Bubista guided his nation to the top of their six-team group by a margin of four points, comfortably defeating Cameroon to secure automatic qualification.
Cape Verde are swift on the counter-attack and have shown skill at catching opponents off guard by cleverly timing their moments to win the ball.
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Their roster is drawn from leagues across the globe, with clubs from Spain, Ireland, Turkey, Portugal, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Russia, Israel and the United States all represented.
But they can expect an extremely tough afternoon against a Spain side loaded with genuine superstar names who almost exclusively play their football at Europe's biggest clubs, and also Tottenham.
Luis de la Fuente also benefits from retaining most of the key players from that triumph two years ago, and that winning experience could prove crucial later in the tournament.
You cannot help but wonder what the Cape Verde squad were thinking as they watched Germany's 7-1 thrashing of Curacao on Sunday afternoon.
If Spain come at them anywhere near their best, we could see a similar scoreline in Atlanta. It would be far more entertaining if we are proven wrong.
Score prediction: Spain 6-0 Cape Verde
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
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