MADRID (AFP) - Staging the Spain v England friendly match at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu stadium couldn't have been more appropriate as both teams expect to field players from the Real ranks.
Spain will be captained by Real club captain Raul while the Spanish giants playmaker David Beckham will wear the armband for England.
"I led out England at Old Trafford when I was playing for Manchester United and that was one of my proudest moments, so to be the captain when England play at the Bernabeu is a dream come true," said Beckham here on Monday.
"There has been a bit of talk about the game in the Real dressing room," admitted Beckham, in his usual understated fashion.
Most of it will have come from Spain's right back Michel Salgado, who speaks good English and will have the job, at least for part of the match, for marking Beckham and his colleague at for both club and country, Micheal Owen.
Salgado will be joined in the Spanish squad by his Real team mates, goalkeeper Iker Casillas and midfielder Jose Mari 'Guti' Gutierrez.
Beckham played alongside Guti in the Real midfield on his return to action in Saturday's 6-1 thrashing of struggling Albacete, after missing the last six weeks the two broken ribs sustained against Wales in last month's World Cup.
However, if Spanish coach Luis Aragones plays to the gallery, it is possible they will be squaring up against each other on Wednesday.
"We've had some sparring sessions in training but it will be interesting to see how things work out in a full-blooded international match," said Guti.
The Real rivalries are not the only ones that will be fought out on Wedensday.
Spain have named Arsenal's Jose Antonio Reyes and the former Sevilla striker will come under scrutiny by The Gunners' left back Ashley Cole.
"There is little friendship in games like this. It should be an attractive match but it could also be a hard one," commented Reyes on Monday.
Liverpool will also have players on both sides, with Spain's Xabi Alonso facing England's Jamie Carragher.
Spain against England may not be one of the classic international rivalries that come to mind but the two countries have a certain inter-twined history.
English players, often sailors or itinerant workers introduced the game to many cities in Spain, and were involved in the foundation of some famous clubs like Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.
More recently, the last time the two countries met was in February 2001, a friendly which was Sven-Goran Eriksson's first game in charge as England coach.
On that occasion, England won 3-0 with Beckham also acting as captain for much of the match before handing over late in the game to Owen.
"I've got good memories of that match. We won well. I hope it's the same result on Wednesday," said Beckham.
However, the clashes haven't always gone England's way.
England's first defeat by a team beyond the shores of the British Isles came when Spain beat them 4-3 in 1929.
There was another famous defeat of England in the 1950 World Cup, one of the first overseas matches ever to be transmitted in its entirety on Spanish television.

11/17/2004 - 12:04 GMT - AFP