Diego Costa has been given a start by Spain manager Vicente del Bosque for Friday night's Group B opener against the Netherlands.

There had been suggestions ahead of the match that Del Bosque would not name a recognised striker in the side, but Costa starts with support from Andres Iniesta and David Silva.

Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos will partner each other in central defence, while there is also a start for Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta.

Jonathan de Guzman and Nigel de Jong are both named in central midfield for the Netherlands, who will be relying on the creativity of Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Roben in attacking area.

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Any issues regarding Robin van Persie's fitness seem to have gone, with Louis van Gaal trusting his captain to lead the line in Bahia.

Spain: Casillas; Azpilicueta, Pique, Ramos, Alba; Busquets, Alonso, Xavi; Silva, Costa, Iniesta

Netherlands: Cillessen; Janmaat, Vlaar, De Vrij, Martins Indi, Blind; De Jong, De Guzman, Sneijder; Robben, Van Persie

You can follow live text coverage of the match on Sports Mole.

Written by
Callum Mulvihill