Spain, the perennial World Cup underachievers, will need little reminding of the urgency of the task awaiting them against Bulgaria in the Felix Bollaert Stadium in Lens this evening.

To have any chance of staying in the championship, they must collect all three points. And depending on the outcome of Paraguay's match against Nigeria, they could find themselves on the way home even if they secure their first win.

For a team which came here rated among the more likely outsiders, that is a stunning statistic, and the word from the Spanish camp is that it could cost manager Javier Clemente his job.

Clemente is said to be at variance with a couple of his team and, having fallen foul of a large section of the Spanish press, he cuts a forlorn figure these days.

As yet, he has not committed himself to a team but the likelihood is that Raul, scorer of a superb goal in the opening game against Nigeria, will be named in attack despite his withdrawal in the scoreless draw with Paraguay.

His Real Madrid clubmate Fernando Morientes is also in contention for a place in what is expected to be an attacking formation. But there is no indication that Julen Guerro, another of those who arrived in France with a big reputation, will get a start in midfield.

There were also renewed reports of disquiet among the Bulgarians following the disciplinary action taken against Hristo Stoichkov.

Stoichkov, ever the controversial figure, is still protesting his innocence after going missing from the camp on Monday night - scarcely the ideal preparation for a game of this importance.

With his ageing team-mates Emil Kostadinov and Lyuboslav Penev, he could yet be a key figure in the win which would keep the Bulgarians afloat. Yet the feeling persists that Spain can at last come good.

Probable Teams

Spain: Zubizarreta; Alkorta, Abelardo, Sergi, Aguilera, Hierro, Amor, Luis Enrique, Pizzi, Raul, Etxeberria.

Bulgaria: Zdravkov; Ivanov, Kishishev, Petkov, Ginchev, Hristov, Yankov, Balakov, Iliev, Kostadinov, Stoichkov.