Preview: La Roja under fire for scheduling this friendly match
Spain's presence in Equatorial Guinea has been considered the most important day in their sporting history by the government's official press bureau. But for others, Spain's visit to the once Spanish colony in West Africa has generated a lot of buzz.
The disparity in wealth between rich and poor is shocking. While some live a lavish lifestyle, others suffer to live their lives, earning less than $1 a day.
Since all the controversy has been generated, Vicente del Bosque has been trying to calm the critics, as the current World and European Champions prepare to play in front of 18,500 fans at the Malabo Nuevo Estadio.
"We are just sportsmen and we haven't come here to give prestige or strengthen the position of anyone, nor to overthrow anyone, we have come here to play football with total freedom," Del Bosque said in his latest press conference.
After their visit to Guinea, they will travel to Johannesburg to take on South Africa. And with him, Del Bosque has taken 23 players, as he intends to use them all.
"We got 23 players out here, any of them could play, we don't have first choice or second choice players. Both of these games are equally important to us, we have added responsibility that comes with our recent success."
One likely possibility was the debut of Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa, who chose to represent Spain, over Brazil. Unfortunately for him, a thigh injury is going to keep him out of the match.
For the hosts, it will be a chance to see some of the greatest footballers on display, while also putting themselves to the test. Clearly their expectations going into the match are not high, but their manager is willing to dream.
"You always have to dream, but we're playing against the best team, and beating them will be almost mission impossible," Andoni Goikoetxea told reporters. "There are one million people here and you can't compare our football with theirs. We lack so many things. There is no infrastructure, no football academies, but people love the game, and people enjoy it."
Having very limited chances of even grabbing a goal on Saturday, the Equatorial Guinea players will need to do their best to keep up with the Spanish outfit.
Where to watch this match - live stream, start time, TV channels, live scores
Watch Equatorial Guinea vs Spain live on Saturday, November 16, 2013:
In the USA at 16:00 ET on: ESPN Deportes, ESPN3, Watch ESPN
Fans in Spain can follow the action on TVE La Primera. For all other viewers, make sure to check the Equatorial Guinea vs Spain match page for full TV listings in your area.
