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World Cup defence starts now, says del Bosque

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MADRID: The chance to feature at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is an extra motivation for Spain’s veteran players, said coach Vicente del Bosque on the eve of their first qualifying match in Georgia.

Spain’s haul of two European Championship titles and one World Cup trophy in the last four years means they have eclipsed Brazil as the team to beat but the South Americans still hold a special place in the heart of most footballers.

“It’s a great incentive to be there (Brazil),” Del Bosque told a news conference on Monday.

“I have complete confidence in all the players, the new and the old. For the veterans around the 30 mark I am sure it will be a motivation to make the finals.”

“The Brazil World Cup doesn’t start in 2014, it starts now against Georgia in Tbilisi,” said Del Bosque.

“In order to defend the World Cup that Spain won in South Africa, first we need to get the ticket to Brazil. The players know we have a long and hard qualification stage ahead of us and we can’t allow ourselves to lose concentration, because any slip-up will be a problem for us,” continued the Spain coach.

Barcelona playmaker Xavi, 32, was one of the footballers Del Bosque was referring to.

“The World Cup is a wonderful event and the next one is in a country with a great football tradition,” said Xavi.

“This generation has never played against Brazil and this is a big motivation.”

Del Bosque, who took over from Luis Aragones after Spain won Euro 2008, has a 100 percent record in qualifying for major tournaments.

“Tomorrow we start the defence of the title we won in South Africa. This is how we are approaching the game,” the coach said.

“Over the last four years we have played two qualifying campaigns and we have won all 18 games. We want to continue in the same manner.”

Xavi said Spain would be taking nothing for granted in Tuesday’s match.

“Being world and European champions doesn’t guarantee anything,” he said. “We have analysed Georgia and they are a tough rival.

Spain have the slight advantage of being in a five-team qualifying group and, including Georgia, they have to battle France, Finland and Belarus for one direct qualification place for Brazil, which will go to the eventual group winner, and a spot in the play-offs for team that finishes second in the group. (Agencies)

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