Spain are confident they know enough about Nigeria to prevent the Africans from causing an upset in Nantes this afternoon.

"We watched four match videos of Nigeria in action, so we have a good idea of what to expect," said Spanish defender Rafael Alkorta. "It will be a difficult match and we'll need to concentrate hard throughout."

Spain have a team full of talent but have often stumbled on the World Cup stage. A fourth-place finish in 1950 remains the best Spanish performance in nine previous appearances in the finals, although they were quarter-finalists in both 1986 and 1994.

Coach Javier Clemente's record with the Spaniards is remarkable. Since he took over in 1992, the Spaniards have lost only three times in 54 matches. They qualified unbeaten for their sixth straight appearance in the finals.

Striker Raul, a 20-year-old prodigy, the prolific Alfonso and the tenacious Luis Enrique give the Spaniards plenty of attacking flair but the backbone of the team will be goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarretta, who is making his fourth finals appearance, and the superbly-composed defender Fernando Hierro.

The enigmatic Nigerians, meanwhile, love the big stage and have vowed to fight back after a series of disappointing warm-up results, in which they conceded 12 goals in three matches. Those losses have left the future of coach Bora Miltutinovic resting on a knife edge.

"I know it is difficult to accept defeat in whatever form, but it is better to lose friendlies than World Cup matches," he said. "I still believe in this team and people should not write us off."

Prior to their warm-up woes, the Nigerians were seen as the one African side capable of mounting a challenge for the title at France 98. The Nigerian players, several of whom were on the team that won the 1996 Olympic gold medal, believe they can still confound their critics.

"We have to concentrate on our own game without being too worried about our opponents," said goalkeeper Peter Rufai. "The side with the best team spirit will come out on top."

Striker Victor Ikpeba is well aware of the task the Nigerians face: "We are expecting a very hard match against one of the toughest teams in Europe," he said. "We had a few problems in our last warm-up games, but we are ready for this adventure."