Del Bosque: Iniesta fit to play

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque says Andres Iniesta is ‘almost certain’ to play against Belarus and France.

The Barcelona star had been a doubt for Spain’s 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers after picking up a knock in last Sunday’s Clasico against Real Madrid, but Del Bosque has revealed the 28-year-old is likely to feature in both matches.

“Iniesta is a specific case, he could play both games perfectly, but we will focus,” said.

“We have players on the roster who can replace him, but he will almost certainly play both games.”

Del Bosque also gave his thoughts on the on-going dispute between Iniesta and Real Madrid defender Pepe, who have engaged in a war of words in the aftermath of the 2-2 draw at Camp Nou.

“These players (the Spain squad) do not know theatre. Here everyone wants to be the purest and cleanest. Anyway, the players are focused on the match against Belarus, that’s what’s important right now,” he said.

Del Bosque warned his players against complacency when they take on Belarus on Friday, pointing to Bayern Munich’s shock defeat at the hands of Belarusian club side BATE Borisov as proof their opponents should not be taken lightly.

“We are not clear who will win, in sport there is no guarantee,” he said.

“Just ask Bayern Munich, who lost in this same stadium.

“We have watched the Belarusian team, mainly the last three games they’ve played. We’ve also paid attention to their Under-21 team and to BATE, we put eyes on their game against Bayern.”