Cambio de guardia para celebrar el centenario de Del Bosque en un partido en el que se presumen más estrecheces que rival (Follow the match live on AS.com)

Belarus brings the contest to Borisov, where a stadium with only 14,000 spectators awaits us (the same ones who whistled at Piqué in León) and with a field less bumpy than expected, as verified by Toni Grande (the team trained in Minsk). Tickets, between 4 and 10 euros, sold out days ago and the stands will be the main support for a team that has taken note of Slovakia's successful plan: they took us to the trap of Zilina, the fifth city in the country, and in a compact and noisy stadium, Del Bosque suffered his only loss in 36 qualification matches.

We'll see if Belarus catches us off guard or distracted. Fifteen of the players called up by Del Bosque have been without competition for two to three weeks, a dangerous disconnection for a match that does not tolerate carelessness. There won't be any in the starting eleven. The ones who remain from the times when La Roja was unbeatable will play, ten World Cup winners, and Morata, a regular starter at Juve, where he has scored 15 goals with the knack of a true striker. He made his debut against the Belarusians and his progress along with Alcácer's emergence coincide with a certain recovery in terms of goals. In the Euro 2008 qualification phase, the average was 1.91 goals per match; in the 2010 World Cup qualification phase, 2.8; in the 2012 Euro qualification phase, 3.25; in the 2014 World Cup qualification phase, 1.75; and in the Euro 2016 qualification phase, 2.8. We'll have to rely on that indicator. And overcome Iniesta's absence.

It looks like Isco won't play, who against the same opponent in November was a beacon of hope. Now he's back to being in off-peak hours. Casillas will reach 162 matches with Spain, where there was never a winter for him, while waiting for his destination. Piqué will start, benefiting from the fresh wind of playing away. Time will pass and reparation will come because he annoyed Real Madrid, not the country. If he lacked commitment, he would now be on the island that Shakira bought in the Bahamas or would have withdrawn in León as soon as he felt discomfort. There is no better partner for Ramos.

Belarus is a frequent known enemy. We have faced each other three times in three years (the first, in 2012, was not televised and we missed a hat-trick from Pedro) and it has seemed like three centuries to them. They have changed coaches twice, without success, and now they are in the hands of Jatskevich, a former player for Dinamo Minsk and Kiev and who has only coached the national team in three matches: victory in Macedonia, draw with Gabon, and defeat against Russia (4-2) with a good performance. They have also climbed 26 positions in the FIFA ranking from November to here and have recovered their most famous player, the former Barça player Hleb. He was not to the liking of the previous coach, Zigmantovich, but he is for Jatskevich, who still sees potential in him at 34 years old, although without defensive obligations. All their players, except five, play in the local league or Russia. They have never set foot in a World Cup or a Euro and it seems that this time won't be their turn either. Jatskevich says that the level would improve with Spanish coaches. Hopefully, the praise won't be a trap.