Of all the quarter-finals, none surely is more of a given than this, although to spend any time around the Spanish players you wouldn’t think so. With the Spanish media already debating whether they would prefer a semi-final with Argentina or Germany, Xabi Alonso was forced to make some pleas about over-confidence which may be one of the reasons why they have never made a World Cup semi-final in their history. The Real Madrid midfielder talked of “ignoring the euphoria back home and our fans who already think we are in a semi-final.” There are reasons for optimism. Since their opening defeat by Switzerland, each one of Spain’s performances has been better than the last – which is almost a pre-requisite if you are going to win the World Cup. They have never lost to Paraguay, whose performances have been going in the opposite direction, and their display against Portugal in the round of 16 was one of controlled efficiency. “We controlled the ball in both halves,” said Xavi. “Basically, Spain were so much better than Portugal. However, they stepped up a gear in Cape Town once Fernando Torres had been taken off and replaced by the giant Athletic Bilbao centre-forward, Fernando Llorente, who had been considered very much of a bit part player in Vicente del Bosque’s squad. However, his impact was immediate and with his 6ft 5 inch frame, he will present the Paraguay back-four with a significant challenge.

Despite the celebratory headlines in the Spanish media, there is more danger of complacency in the Paraguay camp. This is a team that has in its own words “made history” by reaching the quarter-finals for the first time. It has also been running out ideas and impetus since their goalless draw with New Zealand, which was followed by another stalemate against Japan. Finding goals was always going to be a problem for their manager, Gerardo Martino, since his top scorer, Salvador Cabanas, was shot and seriously injured outside a nightclub in Mexico City six months ago. However, Martino would have expected Roque Santa Cruz, Nelson Valdez and Lucios Barrios to have found the net – something they have failed to do at all in this World Cup. Defensively, Paraguay have reached the quarter-finals having conceded just one goal, against Italy in their opening match. However, unless they are prepared to play for a penalty shoot-out it is hard to see them winning through.

However, you look at it, it seems hard to imagine how Paraguay plan to win this game. Certainly, the contest between David Villa and the man who will probably have to mark him at Ellis Park, the Sunderland defender, Paulo da Silva, looks like being an uneven one. Spain’s midfield is too strong, the Paraguay attack too weak and even without Torres, Villa looks the most on-form striker as the World Cup reaches its business stage. Verdict: Spain to win.