Music: {allcanada} Davis Cup: Spain loves its chances vs. Canada

VANCOUVER -- It's a bit like the band Queen touring without Freddie Mercury.

Yes, the Spanish team that's arrived in Vancouver for the first round of the 2013 Davis Cup World Group, where it plays Canada in a best-of-five, three-day tie starting this Friday, is the world's No. 1 squad.

But Spain certainly hasn't brought its top group of players, with stars David Ferrer (world No. 4), Rafael Nadal (No. 5), Nicolas Almagro (No. 11) and Fernando Verdasco (No. 24) all out due to injury or lack of interest.

Indeed, before Tuesday's "meet the teams" press conference, some members of the gathered Canadian media shouted out requests for the players to be introduced -- perhaps a humbling experience to start the week off for the relative unknowns from the Iberian Peninsula.

So, who exactly are these less fashionable players Canada must overcome if they're to advance to the quarter finals of the Davis Cup World Group?

Well, despite Spain missing its four top singles players, it has still brought a world-class doubles pairing in Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, who are ranked third and fifth in the doubles game internationally.

That means the visitors at the University of British Columbia's Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre are virtually assured a win in Saturday's doubles rubber against Daniel Nestor and his partner, who will most likely be 22-year-old Vasek Pospisil.

Nestor is still one of the world's top doubles players as the fourth seed in that category, even in the twilight of his career at age 40, but the duo of Granollers and Lopez will surely target Pospisil at every opportunity, which will be tough for the young Vancouver native to overcome.

But because of the Spanish withdrawals, the singles matches on Friday and Sunday have now become a lot more wide open.

Granollers, who initially looked to be called upon for the doubles match only, could now potentially play all three days as his country's pivotal figure -- he's the highest ranking singles player of the group at No. 34.

World No. 51 Albert Ramos and Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (No. 82) round out the Spanish team, so it's likely Granollers and Ramos will be the singles players on Friday and Sunday, with Garcia-Lopez only here as backup should there be an injury or if there's a dead rubber come Sunday.

"We are not thinking about the guys who are not here," Spanish captain Alex Corretja said following his team's practice at UBC on Tuesday. "We are thinking about the guys who are here. We know how these guys can play, and we are convinced of our chances, knowing that Canada is very strong team -- but we're going to go out there and play."

Perhaps Corretja was simply being a polite guest, but during Tuesday's press conference he spoke of the Canadian team highly, referring to Nestor, two years his senior, as a "legend," and describing the team's 22-year-old hotshot Milos Raonic as a player who could potentially win a Grand Slam event at some point during his career.

"Canada is one of the toughest opponents we can face, especially in the first round," Corretja said. "We know how difficult it could be, and knowing it's the first round, it's a shame, because I think they have the potential to have a better team to improve their games and keep going in the competition."

Raonic is the man well capable of winning a pair of rubbers for Canada over this tie in the singles matches, and Corretja knows whoever he picks to face him will need to play at their optimal level.

"He's a great player," Corretja said of the Thornhill, Ontario, native. "He is, for me, one of the most talented players on the tour right now. Probably he's going to be top 10 very soon."

As for the hard court surface at Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre, Corretja acknowledges it will suit Canada, but given Spain is playing on foreign ground, it's natural that the venue will benefit the home side.

"The surface is okay, it's pretty good," Corretja said. "At the end of the day, when you play Davis Cup, you need to adjust yourself to the opponents, because they choose the conditions, and if it's between the limits that the (International Tennis Federation) sets, then we're happy to play. They say it's medium-fast. They put the conditions. When we play home, we put the conditions - there is nothing to say about the court, it's in perfect condition."

The Spanish didn't look as if they were under pressure during the press conference, and despite the high-profile omissions, the show must go on.

"We're here to try to win," Corretja said. "We know how difficult it's going to be, but we're 100 per cent convinced about our chances. We know that some of our best ranking players are not here, but fortunately we've got lots of players in Spain where we can pick, and here they are.

"They're eager to play, and very motivated…so, we are very pumped to face this week in Canada."