Luis Enrique says Spain have no plans to manipulate draw and avoid Brazil

‘When you’re a very good team and you want to play seven games, you want to be first,’ says the Spain manager, Luis Enrique. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA Images

Luis Enrique, the Spain coach, has asked himself whether it might be better not to win Group E and instead finish second to avoid Brazil, which is precisely why his team will not try to engineer an easy route through the World Cup.

The selección are top of the group and victory against Japan on Thursday would guarantee progress as group winners, but they also know a point would see them through to the last 16 and avoid Brazil in the quarter-final