Spain vs China: times, how to watch on TV, stream online | Women’s International Friendly

The Joshua Tree has become a classic album, but I’m not sure if Jorge Vilda is a keen listener. Despite his probable lack of listens, With or without you must have been the mantra for the latest squad list, as the head coach failed to include any of the 15 players that led a mutiny and declared themselves unavailable for selection.

Since D Day, Spain have had ups and downs on the pitch, beating the USA but losing to Australia. Most recently, they beat Norway 4-2 after goals from Jenni Hermoso and Salma Paralluelo sentenced a strong but Hansen-less side that gave Spain little to worry about despite their counter-attacking threat. Spain managed the game well and gave the north Europeans hardly any room to breathe, pressing them relentlessly in the spring sunshine of Ibiza.

The squad has also suffered in terms of fitness over the past couple of weeks, as both Claudia Zornoza and Marta Cardona have dropped out due to injuries that have set the clock ticking towards a pre-World Cup return date.

What time does the match start?

Where can I watch the match?

Preview:

All of the media talk has been about the players who are not there, instead of the footballers that Jorge Vilda actually has at his disposal to play in the upcoming matches. Players like Athenea, Maite Oroz, Salma Paralluelo, Eva Navarro and Alba Redondo are in fine form heading into these games and should show that Spain can still be taken seriously. The tactical system will also be interesting, given that the squad appears to lack a pure holding midfielder, so we will have to see whether Vilda adapts and possibly even changes his system completely (I smell a back three or even a double pivot).

Prediction:

Spain and China are on opposite sides of the bracket in the World Cup structure so it’s quite unlikely that they’ll see eye to eye at the tournament in the summer. However, this game will serve as a great practice match to get up to the intensity required and, despite the injuries, I think Spain will have too much for China to cope with.

Spain 5-0 China