Spain v Ecuador: Preview
Updated: April 29, 2003, 8:50 PM UK
MADRID, April 29 (International Friendly) - The injury plague that has interrupted the build up to Spain's friendly against Ecuador claimed another victim on Tuesday as coach Inaki Saez fell victim to a stomach bug.
Saez's plans had already been disrupted by injuries to Joseba Etxeberria, Luis Garcia, Xavi Hernandez and Carles Puyol at the weekend and on Monday there was controversy in the camp as injured Valencia midfielders David Albelda and Vicente Rodriguez failed to show up at the club hotel until they were threatened with disciplinary action.
They appeared and were checked over by the team doctor, who confirmed they were injured.
The jinx struck again however, this time with Saez laid low by an attack of gastroenteritis, which could leave his assistant Jose Sacristan in charge of Wednesday's game.
The injuries have meant call-ups for Barcelona utility player Gabri, Real Sociedad midfielder Javi de Pedro and Deportivo La Coruna's Cesar Martin and Sergio Gonzalez.
The drama of the last 24 hours has clearly been a distraction for the players but even without the disruption midfielder Guti reckons Ecuador will be no pushovers in the Vicente Calderon stadium.
"Ecuador are making good progress and have one or two World quality players,'' he said.
"They are very fast in attack and will complicate life for our defenders.
"The fact that we are now ranked second in the World and they are ranked 33 counts for nothing, because they have a solid team.''
Guti will probably start the game behind his Real Madrid team-mate Fernando Morientes, occupying the role the injured Raul would usually fill, while debutante Xavi Alonso and Ruben Baraja fill the central midfield roles.
Raul's absence is a big loss to Spain, but Guti insisted there was enough strength in depth to overcome it.
"We have some players such as Raul, who are missing, but we have enough quality and there are a lot of regulars playing,'' said the midfielder.
"We have shown we are good players at both national and international level and we shouldn't miss anyone.''
Guti denied that with only seven games left in the Primera Liga, some players may have bowed to pressure from their clubs to withdraw.
"There are some big games remaining in the league, but this helps isolate you from the day to day pressure and it is good to have a break.
"Everyone wants to play for their country because it's a privilege and very important for a player to come here. There is no conflict of interest between club and country and what happened yesterday was a misunderstanding because any player would be honoured to play,'' he added.
Ecuador face a difficult task, even against such an injury-hit side, and their coach Hernan Dario Gomez told Spanish daily Marca: "We've come here at a bad time. The team's not playing well. We lack rhythm and technique.
"It's a shame because it's a gift for us to come to Spain, but we're not going to be able to offer our best. However, if we have a good day we could still win.''
Spain 4 - 0 Ecuador