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Torres and Fabregas desperate for chance

Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas do not want to start from the substitutes' bench © Getty Images

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Spain's Premier League duo Cesc Fabregas and Fernando Torres have made late pleas to coach Vicente del Bosque to be included in the starting line-up for Sunday's World Cup final with Netherlands.

While Fabregas has featured in all but one of Spain's matches in South Africa, the out-of-form Torres lost his place for the semi-final win over Germany after failing to find the net in five starts.

With both players competing with Barcelona's Pedro, who started the semi-final, for one place, Fabregas told the Sun: "If I'm lucky enough to get a start, I will give everything I have. But if I have to start on the bench, then so be it. All I can pray for is that I get a chance to play some part of this unbelievable game.

"If I'm not in the team, I will know deep down that Spain winning the World Cup is more important than Cesc Fabregas starting the game or not. So I will still be 100% behind the boys who do go out there. And I will be thinking about what I will do, what I must do if I come on."

The Arsenal captain heaped praise on his country's achievement of reaching the final and spoke of his anticipation of coming toe-to-toe with his club colleague Robin van Persie. He said: "It is a privilege to be part of this Spanish team because we try to play the correct way.

"I know Holland invented Total Football back in the 1970s, and I know those players made the game beautiful to watch. But we try to play the same way and I think the world can see that. Against Germany, we never gave up our principles - pass, pass, pass and never stop trying to score. Eventually we got our reward.

"I have been texting Robin and we realised the only way we could face each other here was in the World Cup final. We joked about it after the early games and it is fantastic that it has now actually happened. It is great for us and it is great for Arsenal to have two players at the World Cup final."

Meanwhile, Torres reportedly spoke to Del Bosque at Spain's hotel on Friday night, urging him to remember his match-winning contribution to the Euro 2008 final, before naming his side to face the Dutch.

A Spanish source told the Mirror: "Fernando went to see del Bosque because he fears he will be left out. Fernando told him he is desperate to play and that he won't let him down. Of course he accepts it has to be Del Bosque's decision but wants to make it as difficult as possible for the coach to leave him out."

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