World Cup Final Breakdown

The World Cup will crown a first-time winner today. That much is guaranteed.

After yesterday's exhilarating third-place match which saw Germany outlast Uruguay 3-2, let's hope that today's final can be played at such a high level of excitement.

Here's my breakdown of today's match with a prediction that follows.

Keys To The Match

Spain:

• Win the battle of possession--this is the first time in the tournament that Spain have faced a team that boasts an equal amount of attacking prowess. To limit the effectiveness of the Dutch attack, they must continue to enforce their possessive style on today's game. And if the Spanish get a lead, they can definitely hold it by playing a bit of keep away!
  

• Fernando Torres--if there was a better time for the striker to come out of his slump, I don't know when it would be. When firing on all cylinders, we know how dangerous No. 9 can be. Against a susceptible Netherlands defense, Torres will be able to find some chances. The question is, will he finish them?

• Sergio Ramos--the right back loves to get forward on the attack, but he will also be faced with the task of marking Dutch winger Arjen Robben when Robben moves to the left side of the field. He cannot forget about this duty if the Spanish are to be successful. Robben can dissect a defense with surgical precision.

• Score first--it's no secret that the Dutch have been known to implode when faced with discouraging circumstances. This mental weakness is something that Netherlands have not shown in this tournament...yet. If Spain does take charge of the game and, say, score in the first 10 minutes, it could have serious consequences on the Dutch psyche.
  

Netherlands:

• Mark Van Bommel vs. Xavi--this midfield matchup will try and keep Spain from dictating the pace of the game. Van Bommel must stop Xavi, the Spanish general, from initiating his own gameplan. I have a feeling the Dutch will try to slow the game down this way and try to win ugly.
  

• Wesley Sneijder--the pint-sized midfielder has been on fire, with five goals in the tournament. The Inter Milan midfielder has the chance to add the World Cup trophy to this year's Champions League trophy. For the Netherlands to win, Sneijder will needs to get on the scoresheet with either at least a goal or an assist and will have to make his attacking presence felt.

• Defense--this is the weakest part of the Dutch team, by far. Center backs Johnny Heitinga and Joris Mathijsen have been good, but not great. Spain definitely has the edge here with Carlos Puyol and Gerard Pique as their defensive tandem. The Dutch defense must remember to mark-up and not get abused by Spain's clever passing game.
  

• Martin Stekelenburg--the Ajax goalkeeper had a bit of an adventure against Uruguay in the semis, allowing a bad goal to Diego Forlan while looking a bit shaky throughout. Across from him will be the world-class Iker Casillas for Spain, who is a more dependable option. Stekelenburg will be tested early and often by the likes of David Villa, so he will need to rise up and play the game of his life to help lift the trophy for the Netherlands.

Prediction:

So who wins this clash of soccer titans? Both teams possess a great amount of attacking flair, and in a game as huge as this, expect a bit of nerves to dampen their effectiveness. The game will go into extra time and after 120 minutes of play, I think that Netherlands will somehow pull it off in an ugly win--Netherlands defeat Spain, 2-1