Spain boss Vicente del Bosque has warned that Belarus are no pushovers, and defended Andres Iniesta from Pepe's accusations.
Del Bosque and his side are in Minsk to play their second fixture in World Cup 2014 qualification Group I.
“We are not clear who will win, in sport there is no guarantee,” the tactician remarked at a press conference today. “Just ask Bayern Munich, who lost in this same stadium.”
Del Bosque was referring to Bayern's 3-1 Champions League loss to BATE Borisov, a club that have nine representatives in the national squad.
“We have watched the Belarusian team, mainly the last three games they've played. We've also paid attention to their Under-21 team and to BATE, we put eyes on their game against Bayern.”
Del Bosque then waded into the ongoing debate between Barcelona midfielder Iniesta and Real Madrid defender Pepe.
“These players do not know theatre. Here everyone wants to be the purest and cleanest. Anyway, the players are focused on the match against Belarus, that's what's important right now.”
The former Besiktas chief said that it was 'hard to tell' whether his La Roja are the best team of all time, refused to confirm whether he would play with or without a number nine, and gave an update on Iniesta's injury situation.
“Iniesta is a specific case, he could play both games perfectly, but we will focus. We have players on the roster who can replace him, but he will almost certainly play both games.”
Del Bosque ended by admitting he was “worried people in Spain will not be able to follow their selection,” reacting to the news that tomorrow night's game may not be broadcast.
