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The limbs may be aching, their joints creaking, the mind numb but none of that shall deter the Spanish conquistadors or the Andean warriors from soaring one last time on their broken wings; flying on the strength of spirit and the conviction of their dreams, they set out to fight for glory in the grand finale of the Davis Cup on red clay inside the Olympic Stadium in Seville. In a repeat of the 2008 final, Argentina will face up to the formidable task of taking on Spain this weekend for the Dwight Davis trophy in the Centennial edition of the premier ITF event.

The setting might be new, but the Argentines have a chequered history of battling the Spanish dating back to the 19^th century.  The men in light blue and white are up against the most successful Davis Cup team of the new millennium when they take on Spain for a second time in four years for the ultimate prize in team tennis.

The wounds from Mar del Plata in 2008, when Argentina suffered a narrow 2-3 defeat at home will linger but Juan Martin Del Potro and David Nalbandian have the experience and tools to cause the Spanish a few headaches on the red clay in Seville this weekend.

Especially considering Rafael Nadal’s candid admission that his much vaunted intensity has deserted him at the end of a season that has produced mixed results for the three time (2004, 2008, and 2009) Davis Cup winner. With David Ferrer also nursing a tired body, Tito Vazquez’s boys could make a real fist of it when the two teams meet this weekend at La Cartuja.

In contrast the Argentine team has been well rested, with both Del Potro and Nalbandian taking November off to prepare for this most important tie. Del Potro has made a strong comeback this year, after missing much of 2010 due to injury and rehabilitation. The 2009 US Open champion climbed from 485 in the world to his current ranking of 11^th in the world. Juan Monaco has been in good nick, having won in Valencia and reaching the quarters at the Paris Masters.

Nalbandian has an impressive 22-5 record in Davis Cup and the Argentine team will draw on his immense experience and inspirational cup play to feed off and drive themselves to meet the demands of the arduous challenge of playing Spain in their own backyard.

Meanwhile, Eduardo Schwank took to clay since he lost in the qualifiers of the US Open in August achieving moderate success. His run to the singles finals at Cali and Sao Paolo should give him the confidence needed to take on the formidable pair of Fernando Verdasco and Feliciano Lopez in the doubles rubber on Saturday.

Juan Ignacio Chela (29^th) is ranked much higher than Schwank, but the 143^rd ranked player joined forces with Carlos Berlocq this month to win the doubles title in Buenos Aires on clay. His recent efforts on clay might just help him clinch the final spot on the team, ahead of Chela even though he is ranked 29^th in the world to Schwank’s 143^rd rank.

While Costa has made known his team for the weekend, Vazquez has decided to keep his counsel till Thursday when he shall reveal his quartet of soldiers for the three day battle. “All the players have been making a big effort over the last three weeks,” acknowledged Vazquez. “They have sacrificed their normal schedule and devoted energy to this tie. I’m very proud of them,” he said, “this is the best group we have in Argentina. The five players here are the five I want to have.”

“I think maybe we are a bit the favourites, but we have to show it on the court,” said Spanish captain Albert Costa, with typical modesty. “They are a very strong team and they play very good in Davis Cup, so it’s going to be tough for sure.”

It will be critical for the Argentines to at least split the points on Friday, to stand a realistic chance against Albert Costa’s men who will be intent on winning Spain’s fifth Davis Cup title and their third in four years. Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer have an unbeaten 25-0 record on clay in the Davis Cup – it will take an inspired Argentine to inflict a first defeat on either of these men to breach the Spanish fortress and avoid finishing runner up in this competition for a third time.

In a late scare to the Argentine dream, Del Potro missed Tuesday’s practice to nurse a little niggle in his knee. And even though the team insisted that it was a precautionary measure to keep Del Potro off the courts, Vazquez will be hoping that his top player is fit enough for the gruelling weekend.

The draw is on Thursday and action kicks off at 1400hrs GMT on Friday. With two of the strongest teams facing off on clay, get ready for a pulsating finale to what has already been an incredible season of tennis.