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SPANISH COACH Javier Clemente believes his side will avoid becoming the first major casualty of the World Cup tonight, if they get the lucky breaks he feels they deserve. Clemente needs to inspire Spain to a win against Bulgaria to have any chance of reaching the second round and even that will not be enough if Paraguay beat Nigeria - and is also aware his job could be on the line if Spain do flop in Lens.
Clemente took Spain to the quarter-finals of USA 94 and of Euro 96 and in a World Cup short on upsets so far, Spain's possible elimination would be potentially the biggest in the first round. To underline how disappointing Spain have been, they were also the seeds in the section dubbed the �Group of Death'. Yet they have under-performed horribly so far, going ahead twice against Nigeria before losing, and then putting in an abject performance against a very negative Paraguay side last Friday, which resulted in a goalless draw.
Clemente is still talking up his team's chances of reaching the last 16, which would probably mean facing hosts France themselves. And he reacted to criticism, including some from former Barcelona boss Johan Cruyff, by saying: I'm fed up. We're just not getting any luck at this tournament, and we're in for a long struggle. But I have got news for those people who are moaning that we are out of the World Cup. We are not. If we keep on working as hard as we have been then lady luck will eventually shine on us. We are not giving up the ghost yet."
Yet Clemente is likely to make several changes to the team that failed to beat Paraguay, including bringing back Miguel Angel Nadal in central defence to partner captain Fernando Hierro. And the coach could also recall fellow Basque Julen Guerrero to play alongside Luis Enrique in the centre of midfield while playing the young pair of Raul and Fernando Morientes in attack after Juan Pizzi and Jose Etxeberria were so disappointing against Paraguay.
However Spain's opponents tonight, USA 94 semi-finalists Bulgaria, have had an even more troubled time. They have failed to score in their two games a draw with Paraguay and defeat to Nigeria - and strikers Hristo Stoichkov and Luboslav Penev have been fined by coach Hristo Bonev for missing a press conference and team talk on Monday without permission. They reappeared in the early afternoon saying they had overslept.
But Stoichkov, 32, who was joint top scorer in the last World Cup with six goals, has looked a pale shadow of his former self, partly because he hardly played any club football last season. Yet Bonev will need the former Barcelona star at his best if they are to stand a chance of reaching the last 16. They have to win and hope Paraguay lose or draw against group winners Nigeria.
Bonev is set to stick with the line-up that lost 1-0 to Nigeria, which means Stoichkov will partner Emil Kostadinov in attack, with bad boy Penev on the bench.
SPAIN v BULGARIA: TRIVIA
*Three previous matches, the first a 13-0 win for Spain back in 1933, Chacho scoring six - a record for any player making his international debut.
*The last meeting was at Elland Road during Euro 96, Hristo Stoichkov scoring from a penalty in a draw. Bulgaria have never beaten Spain.
*Stoichkov has converted 13 penalties for Bulgaria, easily a record in international football.
*Jose Francisco Molina, capped by Spain as an outfield player in 1996, is in the squad as a goalkeeper. He hasn't yet added to his one international appearance (which lasted 14 minutes).
*Ex-Reading goalkeeper Boris Mikhailov, who's in the current Bulgarian squad, sported a new hair transplant in the 1994 finals. He runs a wig-making business.
*Andoni Zubizaretta is the only goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet in four World Cup tournaments.
*Emil Kostadinov has happy memories of goalscoring in France. His two goals in Paris, including one in the last minute, kept France out of the 1994 finals and he scored in Bordeaux in the second leg of the 1996 UEFA Cup final.
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NIGERIA'S SECOND STRING SET FOR SHOT AT STARDOM
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WITH Nigeria already qualified as group winners and sure of a place in the second round, the question Paraguay and group rivals Spain and Bulgaria - are asking is whether the Super Eagles will put out a full-strength side tonight in Toulouse.
Paraguay will hope they don't, so giving them hope of securing the win they need to reach the last 16 for the first time since 1986. At the same time, the other two, who play each other in the remaining Group D match, are relying on the Africans to field their best side, beat Paraguay and give them both a hope of extending their stay in France by finishing second in the group.
But Nigeria's coach Bora Milutinovic is set to play virtually a second choice team against the South Americans, and thus virtually destroy Spain and Bulgaria's hopes of progressing.He has a handful of players either with slight injuries or carrying yellow cards, and has admitted he will not risk anything tonight that could compromise his side's hopes in their second round game, which is likely to be against Denmark at the Stade de France this Sunday, and that can only be good news for Paraguay's Argentinian coach Paulo Carpeggiani.
Milutinovic is already without his captain and central defender, Uche Okechukwu, who is suspended, and he is set to rest the three other first-team players who have already picked up a yellow card striker Victor Ikpeba, whose goal beat Bulgaria last Friday, as well as playmaker Jay-Jay Okocha and defender Miutiu Adepoju. If any of them were cautioned tonight they would miss their second round game and risk a repeat of their performance in USA 94 when they were knocked out by Italy in the last 16.
But those absentees could pave the way for a starting appearance by Nwankwo Kanu, Nigeria's captain and hero when they won Olympic gold in Atlanta two years ago. The Inter Milan striker has not played regular football since an operation to correct a heart valve defect but he has now recovered fully, after fearing his football career was over at the age of 20.
Carpeggiani meanwhile has to try to inspire his side to score a goal, something they have failed to do in their previous two matches, but despite that they are in second place and well-placed to progress. Paraguay need to equal or better the result between Spain and Bulgaria to reach the knock-out phase.
BIG MATCH TRIVIA
These countries have never previously met.
If Paraguay manage another goalless draw they'll be the first country in the World Cup finals to draw all three first round games 0-0. If they do, and Bulgaria v Spain is a draw, Paraguay will be the first team to reach second round without scoring a goal.
Nigeria will be without Uche Okechukwu who is suspended. Kanu is likely to be captain and that will make him the youngest ever skipper in a World Cup finals match, 21 years and 327 days.
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