La Coruna  - Spain are keen to clinch qualification for the 2010 World Cup finals by winning upcoming home matches against Belgium and Estonia.

Winning both games would guarantee Spain their eighth successive World Cup finals appearance. Not since 1974 has La Seleccion missed out on a finals tournament.

The European champions are well out on top of group 5, having won all six of their qualifying games. Therefore, they have 18 points, six more than second-placed Bosnia and 10 more than third-placed Turkey.

Belgium, their opponents in la Coruna on Saturday, are fourth on just seven points, and need to win all their remaining games to stand any chance of reaching South Africa.

To add to Belgium's woes, national manager Frankie Vercauteren has a massive goalkeeping crisis on his hands.

First-choice keeper Stijn Stinjen is injured. Silvio Proto, his understudy, will probably stay behind in Belgium because his wife is about to give birth. Therefore, third-choice keeper Jean-Francois Gillet will have to face the wrath of David Villa and company in La Coruna.

It was Euro 2008 top scorer Villa who headed a late winner for Spain in their 2-1 win away to Belgium in Brussels last October.

On Saturday Villa will again link up with Fernando Torres, his partner in crime at Euro 2008.

Spain have fewer injury worries than Belgium, now that midfielders Cesc Fabregas and Marcos Senna have been declared fit.

On Wednesday Senna, so important at Euro 2008, said that "I feel fine now, and I believe I will be able to play on Saturday."

Senna was absent from the Confederations Cup in June through injury, and La Seleccion sorely missed his indefatigable work in front of defence.

Also on Wednesday, Raul Albiol said that "we want to clinch our qualification as soon as possible."

The defender, who has just joined Real Madrid from Valencia, added that "we could do something beautiful in the World Cup, if we keep the same humility, work ethic and the same approach that we had at Euro 2008."

The only players missing from the Spain squad are injury victims Sergio Ramos and Andres Iniesta.

Alvaro Arbeloa, the reserve defender standing in for Ramos at right-back for Real Madrid, will do the same for Spain on Saturday.

In place of Iniesta, meanwhile, will be either Valencia youngster Juan Mata or Santi Cazorla of Villarreal. (dpa)