Real Madrid's Fernando Morientes set to start for Spain
( 2001-08-31 10:14 ) (7 )

Real Madrid striker Fernando Morientes is set to start for Spain in their crucial World Cup qualifying match against Austria on Saturday.

If Spain beat their visitors, they will qualify for next summer's finals as winners of the European group seven, having already drawn with Austria last October.

Morientes has 15 caps to his name but has only played once in nearly two years, following a loss of form in the wake of his poor performance at the 1998 World Cup and then a spate of injuries last season.

Spanish coach Jose Antonio Camacho would not confirm that Morientes will pull on the number nine jersey but the team's training on Wednesday and Thursday gave a clear indication of his thinking, with his first choice players practising set pieces and other moves.

Morientes' recall, playing up front alongside his teammate Raul Gonzalez, means that Deportivo La Coruna's Diego Tristan will be on the bench despite his impressive club form.

An opening as the Spanish target man was created when Camacho decided to drop Milan's Javi Moreno, when he named his 21-man squad last Friday.

The only major question that appears to remain is who will play in goal, either Real Madrid's Iker Casillas or Valencia's Santiago Canizares.

Barcelona's Xavi Hernandez will come into the midfield, as the playmaker, winning only his second cap, replacing his former teammate Pep Guardiola.

Guardiola finished his contract at the Catalan club in June and has not played at all over the summer while looking for a new team.

"It is a bit like trying to replace the irreplaceable," said Xavi nervously, confirming that the players knew Camacho's thoughts on team selection.

"On a personal level, I am sad Guardiola isn't here. On a professional level, it is not a worry because I have other players that can take his place," Camacho told Spanish reporters on Thursday.

In addition to Morientes and Xavi, the other change to the Spanish team from their last match, the World Cup qualifier in Israel which Spain drew 1-1, will be the return of Lazio's Gaizka Mendieta in place of the injured Ruben Baraja.

It will be Mendieta's first trip back to Valencia's Mestalla stadium since he left the club for Lazio during the summer, under acrimonious circumstances after pleading publicly to be sold.

"I hope the fans will treat him with respect and leave him in peace," said his former teammate, and close friend Canizares.

"This is different to a club match and everyone has to pull together."

The two uncapped players in Camacho's squad, Valencia's David Albelda and Real Zaragoza's Jose Ignacio Saenz, are expected to be on the bench barring any last minute changes or injuries.