By: Nicole Mastria

The long-awaited 2018 FIFA World Cup begins on June 14th and Spain is ready to cinch the
title of World Cup Champions for the second time in the country’s history.

Below are three hopes for Spain going into their first  match against Portugal on
June 15th.

Hope 1: Attack, attack, attack!
Though always nice to get ahead by scoring early on in a game, Spain must be careful not to let
their guard down after attaining the lead. Luckily this hasn’t seemed to be a common problem
for the Spanish team.

Prior to Spain’s first World Cup victory in 2010, they were able to score an impressive 28 goals
in ten qualifying matches while only conceding five goals. During the 2018 World Cup qualifiers
the team has proven it is even stronger and more determined, scoring 36 goals while only being
scored on three times.

This squad is strong and always pressures their opponents until the end of the match,
oftentimes scoring within the last few minutes.

If Spain continues to play the way they have been playing leading up to the start of the
tournament, they will feel confident they can come out on top in their Group.

Hope 2: Strong passes
Spanish teams have long made use of a style of play the soccer world has come to know as
“Tiki Taka”. Basically this means keeping possession of the ball for as much of the game as
possible and making quick, short passes.

In doing this, the players are able to play a long and patient game of keep away and effectively
move the ball up the field until they create the perfect opportunity to strike.

Spain’s strong passing abilities were demonstrated very well during the match against Italy in
which they defeated Gli Azzurri 3-0 and thwarted the Italians’ attempt to secure their spot at the
2018 World Cup.

Hope 3: Continue their undefeated streak
Looking back at their successful participation in the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 UEFA
European Championships, it is safe to say Spain holds quite the record.

Throughout their qualifying matches for the two tournaments the squad remained unbeaten and
almost attained a perfect tournament in 2010 but unfortunately recorded one loss.

After Julen Lopetegui took over as head coach in 2016, the squad has remained undefeated.

Fear: Missing key scorers from previous Spanish squads will leave them lacking in attacking experience. 
With their all-time leading scorer David Villa and striker Alvaro Morata missing from the lineup
this time around, Spain could fall apart up top and have not make it past the group round for the
second World Cup in a row.

Can La Roja continue on their undefeated path and rise above the rest to be named the 2018
FIFA World Cup champions? Only time will tell, but Spanish fans everywhere remain hopeful.