MADRID (AP)—Rafael Nadal leads an unchanged Spain squad in next month’s Davis Cup final against Argentina, which will count on Juan Martin del Potro and David Nalbandian to lead the South Americans to a first title on their fourth attempt.
The second-ranked Nadal helped Spain beat France 4-1 in the semifinals to set up the Dec. 2-4 final on the hosts’ favored clay surface at Olympic Stadium in Seville.
Fifth-ranked David Ferrer is set to play singles alongside Nadal, while Feliciano Lopez and Fernando Verdasco should team-up for doubles, although Spain captain Albert Costa also included recent Valencia Open winner Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez as playing partners.
Aside from the 11th-ranked Del Potro and Nalbandian, Juan Monaco, Juan Ignacio Chela and Eduardo Schwank are also in Argentina’s squad, although captain Tito Vazquez will need to trim his team to four players before the Dec. 1 draw.
The Argentines beat a Novak Djokovic-led Serbia 3-2 in Belgrade in the semifinals.
Spain has won 20 straight series at home since going down to Brazil in 1999. On clay, Nadal and Ferrer are a combined 25-0.
The final is a repeat of the 2008 decider, when Spain won 3-2 on a hard indoor surface in Argentina despite missing Nadal to injury.
“When we went to Mar del Plata, the Argentine public was absolutely belligerent,” Costa said on Tuesday. “I’m not going to ask the Spanish fans to repeat that belligerence but they do need to be passionate and show fire in defending the Spanish team, because that will be a prime factor if we want to win.”
Spain is vying for its fifth title since 2000 and third in four seasons. Argentina was also runner-up in 1981 and 2006.
Spain begin training in Seville on Saturday, with Nadal and Ferrer are set to join the team after the ATP World Tour Finals. Argentina has already started practicing on clay at the Tenis Club Argentino in Buenos Aires.
Nadal helped Spain beat the United States to capture the 2004 title at Olympic Stadium.