Hierro: "Just so it's clear, De Gea is going to play tomorrow"

Fernando Hierro wanted to squash all the talking points surrounding the goalkeeper position following David De Gea's clanger against Portugal.

"Just so it's clear, De Gea is going to play tomorrow. He has our complete trust when it comes to the job at hand. He's one of the top three goalkeepers in the world," added Hierro.

On the subject of tomorrow's opponents, coached by former Real Madrid manager Carlos Queiroz, Hierro said: "We have to respect all of our rivals. However, at the same time we need to believe in our own ability and remember the work we've put in so we enter the match full of confidence."

"In the end the ones who compete are the players and it's important they show what they can do out on the pitch. When I left Real Madrid, Queiroz tried to keep me there (after Hierro had fallen out with Florentino Perez). We have a great relationship, I know him well and he's spent seven great years with Iran." The incident in question happened back in the summer of 2003.

On Iran, Hierro pointed out their solid defensive work and their efficiency from set pieces. "Iran have a very clear game plan and they're well prepared in dead ball situations. That's where I see their strengths. They're solid in defence and attack. They don't concede many and in their last 16 matches they've scored 37 goals, 40% of them from set pieces. Physically they're very strong too. They're going to make it very difficult for us," Spain's coach added.

And finally Hierro confirmed that Dani Carvajal is fit and ready and could even start tomorrow. "Carvajal is fine and he's been training with us for a while now. We need to forget about Portugal. Every five days we have another match and we can't think about the past. We remember the good things that we did and what we can improve upon. There are three important points to play for. The past doesn't matter," concluded Hierro.