Spain seek key to realm of legend

The pressure on places in the Spain team inevitably means some players will end up disappointed, but Real Madrid CF central defender Raúl Albiol feels the quality in Vicente del Bosque's squad helps keep everybody sharp. "It's hard for him to choose, but it's good that we have 23 players who could all play at national team level – this just makes us stronger," the 26-year-old told UEFA.com.

With four points after two games, a slip-up against Croatia could mean an early exit, and that – plus the struggle for starting places – is sure to keep the world and European champions on their toes. "We expect a Croatian team which has lots of talent," said Raúl Albiol. "They have good players in their squad, and have played well. We know that they also want to qualify for the next round, so it will be a difficult encounter.

"Since winning the World Cup we played a great qualifying round, and we have been demonstrating here how well we are doing," he added. "The team wants to win more titles, so there is no lack of motivation there, but it's clear that we could still suffer a defeat and go home. The team is still hungry and wants to make history, and so we are very calm in this respect."

Click on the video icon on the player picture above for more from Raúl Albiol, who was speaking to Graham Hunter.