Shevchenko is recovering from a month-old knee injury he picked up in his last match for AC Milan and before he moved to English champion Chelsea last week. "I do not know if I will be 100 percent against Spain," he said Sunday. Whether this is a sign of their supreme confidence, or indeed a fine piece of bluffing, Shevchenko's absence on Ukraine's World Cup debut is not causing too much concern. Having sailed through qualifying, Ukraine coach Oleg Blokhin said he can do without his star forward, who is expected to return in time for the other group matches against Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

But all eyes will be on star-studded Spain, who is bidding to shake off a 56-year hoodoo which has seen them failing to get even as far as the semi-finals. Spain coach Luis Aragones has come closer to naming his team for the match, which for the Spanish will kick off at the unusually early time of 3 p.m.

On Sunday, Aragones lined up an apparent blueprint during an 11-a-side training game in which Atletico Madrid's Fernando Torres, Valencia's David Villa and Luis Garcia of Liverpool spearheaded a 4-3-3 formation.

Raul meanwhile was on the opposing side, and after receiving two knocks to his thigh and his ankle he left the training session early. "It was just a couple of knocks," said the 28-year-old Real Madrid striker, whose World Cup preparations have been severely complicated by a three-month lay-off due to a ligament injury. The debate over the availability of Spain's record scorer (43 goals) is secondary to the overall challenge awaiting.

Spain can boast perhaps one of the most competitive and technically astute domestic leagues in the world, but their record in major competitions has been comparatively dour. Four years ago it was South Korea who stopped Spain in its tracks at the quarter-final stage, a hurdle which they had failed to get over since they finished fourth in the 1950 World Cup.

A meeting with Brazil is only possible at the quarter-finals stage, but Spain is already planning on that challenge. It's very important for us to play against Brazil," veteran defender Michel Salgado said. "If we meet them in the quarter-finals, no problem. If you want to win the World Cup, you have to beat all the teams. We are not afraid."