England takes a day off, Spain trains hard

England team members took much needed rest while their Spanish rivals hit the training session less than 24 hours after they defeated Mali ahead of the FIFA U-17 World Cup final, here on October 28.

Despite an arduous travel itinerary that included an one-hour travel in the morning to the airport and a flight delay, the La Rojita who landed around 4 pm hit the training ground at the Saltlake Stadium within two hours. Meanwhile, Spain juniors have got a big boost with a message from their Real Madrid star defender Sergio Ramos, who in a text message wished players luck and said he will watch them play in the final. First on the agenda was to have a feel of the Salt Lake Stadium and the likes of Abel Ruiz and Co had a walk through into the tunnel and pitch of the the gigantic venue, wielding and flashing cameras.

Minutes later the Barcelona starlet was seen leading his boys into the training arena as they had a light warm-up while coach and his support staff Santiago Denia made their benched players go through the rigours. Aware of the dengue menace in the city, the Spaniards were also seen carrying mosquito repellent in their bags. All eyes would be on the Barcelona youngster Ruiz, one of the stars of the U-17 World Cup as he's in the running for Golden Boot, one goal less than Rhian Brewster's seven.

Having played a key role with two goals in their 3-1 win over Mali, Ruiz said: "I am concentrating now only on the final game against England and not on anything else... I am under no pressure. All I want to do is to score goals and make my team win." History beckons for one of the sides as neither of which have previously secured a world title at this level and both the teams will be looking to confirm their status as Europe's top side.

For England, revenge may be on their mind after their defeat to Spain in the final of the UEFA U-17 European Championship earlier this year as they will be high on confidence having won four out four matches here including yesterday's 3-1 win over three-time champions Brazil. "We want to play with purpose, dominate possession, play forward and get the ball back as quick as we can. That's always our plan, we will never change our style or way. Whoever we play, we can be a match and play better than the opposition. We have to work hard for that," England coach Steve Cooper has said.