Going into the 2013 Confederations Cup, many football fans were surprised to see Tahiti listed. After their first match against Nigeria, those same fans are not surprised to have seen the 137th ranked nation go down in flames against Nigeria
UPDATE: Spain starting XI confirmed:
Reina; Azpilicueta, Albiol, Sergio Ramos, Monreal; Javi Martínez; Mata, Silva, Cazorla, Villa; Torres.
Tahiti starting XI: ROCHE, TEHAU, VAHIRUA, LUDIVION, CAROINE, BOUREBARE, VALLAR, LEMAIRE, CHONG HUE, AITAMAI, TEHAU.
With just one professional player on the squad, Tahiti certainly did not come into the competition with high hopes, considering they are up against Spain, Nigeria and Uruguay.
What they likely did not expect was to get routed 6-1 in their opening match. They now will have to forget their match against Nigeria, and pay close attention to every single detail going into Thursday's match at the Maracana.
After defeating Uruguay 2-1 in their opening match, Vicente Del Bosque may opt to rest some players against Tahiti. The only bad thing for Tahiti is that the second string of players for La Roja are nearly just as good as the starters. Players like Santi Cazorla, David Villa and even David Silva are likely to get a run in on Thursday.
Despite Spain's clear advantage going into this match, Barcelona's Pedro believes that his teammates will continue to show respect for their opponents.
"Tahiti will do everything they can to frustrate us," said the Spanish winger. "It's an important game, and we must respect our opponents. We must also make sure we don't take the victory are a given, or think too much about the number of goals we might score."
The last time these two countries met was back in 2009 when they squared off at the U-20 level, with the European Champions coming out on top 8-0. Vicente Del Bosque's side is certainly capable of putting on just as great of a show at the Maracana, but they may opt for a more conservative approach, not looking to run up the score against a clearly inferior side.
Tahiti's manager, Eddy Etaeta is well aware of what his side is up against. If his players had a difficult time against Nigeria, on Thursday, they could not only struggle, but they could also get limited touches on the ball.
"There is reason for concern after watching Spain's performance against Uruguay," Etaeta told reporters. Tactically, we need to be better than we were against Nigeria. And on a physical level, we need to be stronger in the challenge."
Being stronger in the challenge is most likely not going to do the trick for Tahiti. They will really be against the ropes on Thursday and only a catastrophic performance from Spain could give Etaeta's side a glimmer of hope.
When you prepare to take on the reigning World Cup and European Champions, the mental, tactical and physical preparation is hard enough -- now imagine being the 137th ranked nation preparing for this big match.
Tahiti could really be in for possibly the longest 90 minutes they have ever played. What could work in their favor is the fact that they literally have nothing to lose, taking all the pressure off of them. They should be able to go out and enjoy the fact that they are taking on arguably one of the greatest teams in the history of the game.
Keeping the Spanish to less than four goals would be an incredible accomplishment for Tahiti, while anything less than four would not be upsetting for Del Bosque, as long as his side comes out on top.
Prediction
Spain 4-0 Tahiti
