Spain coach Julen Lopetegui has a lot of admiration for the three countries his team will face in the group stages of the World Cup.

The 2010 World Cup winners, Spain have been placed in Group B with European defending champions Portugal, Morocco and Iran in Friday's draw in Moscow.

Spain qualified for next year's tournament after finishing top of their group, five points clear of Italy. Lopetegui's side won nine of their 10 games and went unbeaten in qualifying.

"Without a doubt, we have a hard, difficult group," Lopetegui told the federation's website. "This is a World Cup. Portugal are a great team, Morocco have not lost a game in qualifying. Iran were the first team to qualify for the World Cup. They are going to demand the best of us."

Spain will play their first game on June 15 against Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal at the Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi.

La Roja have overcome their Iberian neighbours in their past two meetings in major competitions and have gone on to win the title after those encounters. The last time they met, Spain beat Portugal on penalties at Euro 2012.

"They are a good side," Lopetegui said. "Portugal are the current European champions, they have players of a very high level. The past figures and results don't serve us. What interests us is to play a great game and be able to beat them."

Portugal are the top seeded team in the group by virtue of their FIFA ranking, but coach Fernando Santos admitted Spain would be favoured to top the group.

"It's a very deceptive and treacherous group," he said. "Portugal have to accept that we are one of the favourites but if you look in a bit more detail, you can see it's very difficult. Spain are naturally favourites, as I've always said.

"It's not the first time I say this and I'm not saying it now because we are going to face them. I've always said they are one of the favorites to [win] the World Cup and Portugal have to do what they have to do, which is to try to win each game."

cisive... It looks difficult on paper but nothing is impossible in football. We have to believe in ourselves and continue with the same dynamic... it's going to be marvellous."

Portugal won nine and lost one of their 10 qualifying games to top Group B and qualify for the World Cup, while Spain, Iran and Morocco went unbeaten.

Santos has plenty of respect for Iran and Morocco, saying: "They are two good national teams. The Asian and African sides have a lot of pride and I'm certain they will be very difficult opponents. Of course they have a chance.

"The World Cup is a competition in which you cannot make mistakes, they have less to lose than we do and that is what makes them more dangerous."

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by Adriana Garcia

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