Johannesburg: Spain and Holland will meet for the first time in a major competition on Sunday, and what a way to do it, as they compete in the World Cup final in Johannesburg.
The coveted trophy has eluded both La Roja and Oranje, with Spain having never reached the final before. The Dutch have, however, competing in back-to-back finals in 1974 and 1978, when they finished as runners-up to host countries West Germany and Argentina, respectively.
Both line-ups are brimming with stars. In David Villa and Wesley Sneijder, each side boasts one of the tournament's joint leading scorers, the pair having bagged five goals apiece thus far. And with defenders Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Carles Puyol netting key strikes in their respective semi-finals, their coaches will be confident of the attacking threat their teams present all over the pitch.
Nonetheless, things rarely run smoothly when the clock reaches crunch time, and both Bert van Marwijk and Vicente del Bosque will at times be looking over their shoulders to the players they hold in reserve, and the impact they could make on proceedings.
Ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday, Goal.com takes a look at the potential game changers for both sides, and the likelihood that their coaches will deploy them.
Flying Dutchmen waiting in the wings
Ibrahim Afellay: The 24-year-old PSV Eindhoven playmaker has featured from the bench in three of Holland’s World Cup matches so far, against Denmark and Japan in the group stages and Slovakia in the last 16.
Despite having appeared in 29 of PSV's Eredivisie matches last season, the Dutch midfielder’s return of four goals and one assist is unlikely to tempt Van Marwijk into bringing him into the game if Holland are searching for a goal or an additional spark in an already creative line-up.
Nonetheless, should the Dutch find themselves overrun by the infamous Spanish midfield, Afellay could be seen as an ideal candidate for helping his side retain possession, with a pass completion record of 77 per cent, including a 92 per cent success over medium distances.
Ryan Babel: The Liverpool forward has spent much of his career at Anfield on the bench, and as such is more than used to the sub's role.
Babel made a telling contribution from the sidelines for Liverpool in the Champions League away to Lyon, when his wonder strike looked destined to secure a win for Rafa Benitez's side (until Lisandro Lopez popped with a stoppage-time equaliser).
The 23-year-old offers his coach an array of attacking versatility, being able to operate on either flank, up front, or as a secondary striker.
In 39 appearances for the national side, Babel has scored five times. By no means an outstanding record, but his undoubted ability has a tendency to surface with the spectacular, and Van Markijk could look to the pacy Liverpool man as a game changer.
Eljero Elia: Arguably the surprise package of the Dutch squad, for what Elia lacks in experience, he makes up for in exuberance and pure pace, notching up a staggering 22.85 km/h.
Naturally left- sided, Elia adds channelled width to the Dutch in comparison to the free-flowing movements of Arjen Robben, and his form for Hamburg last season is a testament to the impact the 23-year-old can make.
In 26 appearances for his club, Elia contributed six goals and nine assists, and offers an added threat that will certainly make Sergio Ramos consider his options before making his careering runs down the right flank.
Nonetheless, as Elia has not yet replicated the full extent of his guile on the international stage, Van Marwijk may look to his more experienced reserves to enter a match of this importance.
Klass-Jan Huntelaar: The AC Milan striker, despite his loss of domestic form in recent seasons, remains an important predator in the Dutch ranks.
During Holland’s qualifying campaign, Huntelaar was the top scorer for Van Marwijk’s side, bagging three goals in eight appearances.
In total, the towering forward has scored 16 goals in 36 matches for country since making his debut in 2006. The last of his strikes came in the group E match against Cameroon, when, after coming on as a second half substitute, he bagged the winner.
His striking pedigree will surely lead to his coach calling for the fourth official should Holland need a goal on Sunday, and after his somewhat disappointing spell at Real Madrid, Huntelaar will need no motivation to prove a point.
Rafael van der Vaart: Another graduate of Ajax’s illustrious youth academy, Van der Vaart is an attacking midfielder of immense quality, and if not for the form and ability of former team-mate Wesley Sneijder, would likely find himself in the starting line-up.
With a wealth of experience under his belt, the 27-year-old has scored 16 goals in 82 appearances for his country. The Real Madrid man found the net 16 times last season and along with Huntelaar, could well get a run-out in Johannesburg on Sunday.
His contribution of ten assists during the 2009-10 campaign highlights his creative qualities, and he could prove a key weapon for Van Marwijk to implement.
Spanish Armada waiting in the docks
Cesc Fabregas: It could be argued that the Arsenal captain is one of the most unfortunate players in the World Cup; a truly world class midfielder from a pool of unrivalled talent.
Fabregas would start for most countries, but with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta and Xabi Alonso at Del Bosque’s disposal, finds himself on the bench more often than not.
The 23-year-old has featured in 93 minutes of Spain’s World Cup campaign in South Africa, and despite missing a portion of the 2009-10 campaign through injury, scored an impressive 23 goals in 41 matches for club and country.
Perhaps of more significance are his creative qualities. Fabregas assisted 19 goals last season, and as substitutes go, Del Bosque would be hard pushed to think of a better one.
Fernando Llorente: At six feet five inches tall, the Athletic Bilbao strike is very much the ‘different option’ for Del Bosque. Like many towering strikers of the modern era, Llorente is not only impressive in the air, but possesses strong technique to boot, literally.
The 25-year-old made his senior debut for Spain in 2008 (against Chile) and so far has scored three goals in eight appearances for his country, and netted 14 times is 35 La Liga appearances last term, contributing further with five assists.
With his coach likely to start with just David Villa up front against Holland, it is unlikely that Llorente would get the nod over Fernando Torres should Del Bosque look to shake things up on Sunday, but his sheer presence and ability to hold the ball up makes him an interesting option for the former Real Madrid boss.
Jesus Navas: A cause of much frustration for La Roja fans, the Sevilla winger is yet to truly replicate his club form on the national stage.
A typical winger, the nimble 24-year-old has pace to burn, and his coach clearly holds him in high regard. Following his substitute appearance in the opening Group H defeat to Switzerland, he started the following game against Honduras, and played the pass to assist Villa’s second goal in a 2-0 victory.
In 40 appearances in La Liga and the Champions League last season, Navas supplied 12 assists and scored six goals, and having seemingly overcome his notorious problems with homesickness, it is surely only a matter of time before Navas starts shining on the world stage.
David Silva: Manchester City’s first major acquisition of the summer, Silva has made 38 senior appearances for his country, scoring seven goals in the process. During his final season in La Liga, the attacking midfielder created seven goals for his team-mates, scoring seven times himself.
Thus far, the former Valencia man has made two appearances for Spain in South Africa this summer. He started the match against Switzerland, but was replaced in the second-half by Jesus Navas. His second appearance came as an 86th minute substitute in the semi-final victory over Germany.
It appears that Del Bosque has lost some of his faith in the player, such has been his lack of match time since the opening game, and Silva may see Navas asked to warm-up before he himself receives the call from the coach.
Fernando Torres: Underperforming, seemingly unfit, and unfancied by many La Roja supporters at the moment, the Liverpool forward started every one of Spain's matches in South Africa until finding himself on the bench against Germany for the semi-final.
Nevertheless, on his day, Torres is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world. With 24 goals in 79 appearances for his country, he is sixth on Spain’s list of all-time top goalscorers.
In the final of the European Championships in 2008, Torres scored the only goal of the game as Spain secured their first major trophy in 44 years with victory over Germany in Vienna, and he is likely to be the first player Del Bosque turns to if he feels his side is in need of some added thrust up front against Holland.
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