World Cup favourites Spain are still in a good mood ahead of the clash against Saudi Arabia – despite a disappointing start to the championship.
La Roja by no means lived up to the stamp of favourites when they were surprisingly held to a 0-0 draw by Cape Verde in the Group H opener. A highly organised Cape Verdean defence and a brilliant goalkeeping performance from Vozinha ensured that the Spaniards left the pitch goalless.
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Now they hope for a far more precise performance against Saudi Arabia.
But the Saudis are not an easy opponent. After all, this is the team that sensationally beat Argentina in 2022, and they were well worth a 1-1 draw against Uruguay in their first game – a clash they led until the 80th minute before the equaliser came.
Yamal ready for longer jump-ins
Saudi Arabia will probably have to prepare to face Lamine Yamal to a far greater extent than the 19 minutes he got against Cape Verde.
The teenager is still working on getting back to full form after a hamstring injury he suffered while scoring a penalty for Barcelona in April. He is still not ready for 90 minutes, but willingly puts coach Luis de la Fuente at the disposal of coach Luis de la Fuente in a game that is considered absolutely necessary to win.
“It’s very early – there’s no need to push,” Yamal told RTVE. “It’s not time for a whole game, but I can play the minutes the coach wants. Of course, we have to win on Sunday. We are among the favorites, and then we have to win. We will go out there to take that victory, and we will show our style of play – and who we are. Together we will overcome everything. I am also sure that we will all stand together on July 19.”
Barcelona teammate Pau Cubarsí shares his confidence.
“No, it hasn’t,” Cubarsí replied when asked if the surprisingly goalless opening had affected Spain’s belief in themselves.
“We know the quality of the squad and the support staff. You always have to have trust. We come from several years of good work. We know what football is like, but we have to maintain the same dynamic. We have to show more drive, move the ball faster – the same as before, but with more intensity. We know that there are things we need to improve. We study Saudi Arabia, but we have to focus on ourselves – because we are the most important. If we play with speed, this will be a great game.”
Team news: Munoz out – the Saudis injury-free
Spain will have to do without new Liverpool striker Victor Muñoz. After missing the opening match with a muscle injury, the Spanish medical team confirmed on Friday that he has suffered a setback. There is currently no time frame set for his return.
Saudi Arabia has no new injury problems to report.
Predicted line-ups
Spain (XI): Simon – Llorente, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella – Ruiz, Rodri, Pedri – Williams, Oyarzabal, Olmo
Saudi Arabia (XI): Al-Owais – Abdulhamid, Al Tambakti, Al Amri, Al Harbi – Al Shamat, Al-Khaibari, Kanno, S Al-Dawsari – Al Buraikan, Al-Juwayr
How to watch Spain – Saudi Arabia
The match kicks off at 17:00 UK time (18:00 Norwegian time) on Sunday. It airs live on BBC One and is also available to stream via iPlayer and BBC Sports websites.
Key figures before the match
- Spain and Saudi Arabia have met three times before – Spain has won all of them.
- The only World Cup meeting came in 2006, when Juanito scored the only goal in a 1–0 win for Spain.
- Spain have scored just two goals in their last four World Cup games – since their 7-0 win over Costa Rica in their opening match in 2022.
- Three of Saudi Arabia’s last four World Cup matches have ended with goals on both sides.
- Saudi Arabia have lost all but one of their 11 World Cup matches against European opponents. The exception is the 1-0 win over Belgium on their debut in 1994.
- Spain have won two of their five World Cup matches against Asian teams (two draws, one loss). The only loss in regulation time came against Japan in 2022. They were also knocked out by South Korea on penalties after a 0–0 draw in the quarter-finals in 2002.
Our prediction: Spain puts the World Cup back on track
Yamal’s role is still unclear, but it is hard to imagine Spain struggling as much as they did against Cape Verde. The campaign should be on the right track already here.
Spain 3-1 Saudi Arabia
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