For Spain and the Netherlands, who will square off in the World Cup on Friday, there is no love lost.

This may not be the historic rivalry of Brazil versus Argentina or Italy versus France, but the Dutch remember 2010. Andrés Iniesta scored the winning goal in extra time to give Spain their first ever World Cup title. These two teams set a record for most yellow cards in a Finals game with their physical play.

What better way to start this group play off?

A Look at Spain

Spain is ranked No. 1 in the world and their head coach is Vicente del Bosque. Bosque was the head coach in 2010, when Spain won the World Cup. This Spanish team is one of the most balanced teams, if not the most balanced, in the tournament. The dominance with Spain lies within their defense and goalkeeper.

Iker Casillas returns in net for Spain in an effort to guide his country to the promised land yet again. He is captain of the squad and brings leadership, experience, and a good attitude. Sergio Ramos and Gerard Piqúe will be strengthening the defense and ensuring that Casillas isn't under constant pressure. David Villa and Xabi Alonso are the two key offensive players to watch.

This Spanish team is very experienced, well coached, and has a great defense.

Analyzing the Netherlands

As for the Netherlands, the heart is strong. They may not be filled with superstar players or have the illustrious history like Brazil, Argentina or Italy, but they have a unified squad. Similar to the American team, many of the older veterans were not chosen for younger players. They are ranked No. 15 in the world.

Middle fielder Arjen Robben has a lot to prove as this will most likely be his final World Cup appearance. Veteran Wesley Sneijder will be assisting him in the middle. Team captain Robin van Persie will try to light the lamp against this Spanish defense that appears to be among the world's best. The Netherlands' weakness is between the pipes. None of their goalies (Jasper Cillessen, Michel Vorm, Tim Krul) have played in a World Cup before.

Many people are picking Spain to repeat as world champions, so it wouldn't be surprising if the Spanish team beat the Netherlands in game one. Chile and Australia will be playing three hours after these two in the second Group B match.

Schedule, How to Watch

This game kicks off Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. EST. It will be played at the Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, located on the east corridor of Brazil. Italian Nicola Rizzoli will be the head referee. The game can be seen on ESPN. Online streaming of the game is available via the ESPN Player here.

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