The upcoming Davis Cup final between Spain and Argentina has been described by the Argentine players as "the most important in Argentine tennis", in particular by David Nalbandian and Jose Acasuso.

There has been a buzz around the media, the players and the public alike in the last week or so, as this is a golden opportunity for Argentina to finally capture their first Davis Cup title, and to do so in front of their supporters. Guillermo Vilas, undoubtedly the most successful player Argentina ever produced, never managed to lead his country to the coveted title.

The pressure will be immense. Opportunities like this don’t come along very often and the Argentine players want to be a part of national history. The bookies are heavily leaning towards Argentina as favourites - and rightfully so. Both Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro have form on their side, as well as the advantage of surface choice which has seen them lay an indoor surface which is reported as being quicker than Paris Bercy and Shanghai.

From a spectator's point of view, the upcoming final was dealt a major blow with Rafael Nadal announcing his withdrawal two weeks ago. The original line-up promised to be one of the most mouth-watering clashes in recent years, and could have gone right down to the wire.

It promised to be a battle of heavyweights, with Nadal trying to fight his way past a partisan crowd on his least favoured surface against a fired-up Nalbandian, or attempting to withstand the barrage of big groundstrokes from Del Potro. But as it stands, the main talking point of the tie is whether Argentina will be able to deliver under pressure, and will Spain be able to challenge them? Unfortunately for Argentina, if they come out victorious, the amount of recognition they receive worldwide will be diminished significantly.

Now let's take a closer look at the potential matches that will be taking place today, Saturday and Sunday:

David Nalbandian v David Ferrer
Matches between these two have a tendency to be hard-fought and tough, mentally and physically, with long, exhausting rallies. Ferrer holds a 6-3 head-to-head advantage but Nalbandian leads their hard court meetings 3-2. When they met in Paris Bercy last year, Nalbandian won a three-set contest, and prior to that Ferrer defeated Nalbandian in five long sets after Nalbandian squandered a match point, missing a putaway backhand.

Nalbandian will have to remain patient and take advantage of his volleying skills and court sense to finish the point off at the net. Ferrer has been struggling to find anything close to his best form of late and will need to rediscover his consistency to be of any threat. Nalbandian will likely rise to the occasion, while Ferrer might need to take advantage of his underdog status to find his form.

Prediction: Nalbandian in four sets.

Juan Martin Del Potro v Feliciano Lopez
Lopez, on paper, possesses the game to upset the rhythm of Del Potro. He has a vicious lefty serve, a tricky slice backhand and regularly ventures to the net. Del Potro over the last few months has proven to be especially effective in disposing of lower-ranked opponents, with his controlled big game, but this particular match-up should cause Del Potro more problems than if he were to face a more consistent but equally effective player like, say, Juan Carlos Ferrero.

Lopez posted a good indoor season by his standards but isn’t really in the same class as Del Potro. I would expect Lopez to take it to a couple of tie-breaks and snatch a set, but he has too much of a tendency to throw in a poor quality service game every now and then, which should cost him dearly.

Prediction: Del Potro in four sets.

Jose Acasuso/Agustin Calleri v Feliciano Lopez/Fernando Verdasco
Lopez/Verdasco are a firmly established doubles team and have had some relative success on the Davis Cup stage, including in September when they pushed the Bryans to a fifth set in the semi-finals. Acasuso/Calleri have a short history together, but they did reach the Basel semi-finals this year, notably defeating the Polish duo of Fyrstenberg and Matkowski.

Nalbandian could still be slotted in. However, Alberto Mancini will be wanting to keep Nalbandian fresh for the final singles rubber if need be, especially considering that Nalbandian succumbed to fatigue in his singles match against Nikolay Davydenko in early September. The smart move would be to stick with Acasuso/Calleri if Argentina go up 2-0, because I can’t see Feliciano Lopez defeating Nalbandian in a fifth rubber.

Prediction: Lopez/Verdasco in three sets (five sets if Nalbandian plays)

Juan Martin del Potro v David Ferrer
If Ferrer doesn’t find his best tennis, this is exactly the kind of match-up that Del Potro should relish. Del Potro is as consistent as Ferrer is, but has more firepower and a more effective serve. Ferrer will try hard to hang around and frustrate Del Potro but the Argentinian has a good head on his shoulders. The only troublesome situation that Del Potro could find himself in is if he tires out because his footwork will start to deteriorate and he becomes nowhere near as consistent.

Prediction: Del Potro in three sets

Bottom line: Argentina to defeat Spain 3-1

David Nalbandian v Feliciano Lopez
This rubber won't eventuate if Argentina have already clinched it, but in the scenario of it going down to a fifth rubber, I would strongly back Nalbandian. He is better equipped to deal with Lopez than Del Potro, and should be able to hit enough effective returns and passing shots low down at Lopez's feet. Additionally, Lopez has little experience on the big stage compared to Nalbandian, who possesses one of the best Davis Cup records, and has the experience of playing a previous Davis Cup final to draw from. It would be a tough ask for him to clinch the tie here.

Prediction: Nalbandian in three sets

Stay tuned to Sportingo, where I will be covering the entire Davis Cup tie, from start to finish.