Spain triumphed in the last European Championship in impressive style. They also breezed through qualification, only drawing with Turkey in their final match. However, in a string of friendlies, they played to draws against Egypt and Iraq. Their last friendly was a 3-1 win over Peru. At the World Cup opener, however, they failed to get past Cape Verde’s goalkeeper, starting with a 0-0 draw.
Saudi Arabia struggled to qualify for the World Cup—they finished only third in their main group and scraped through in autumn playoffs against Iraq and Indonesia. They later lost some friendlies but thrashed Puerto Rico 3-0 in June. Their most recent friendly ended in a goalless draw with Senegal. In their first World Cup match, they even led Uruguay for quite some time, but ultimately conceded and finished with a 1-1 draw.
The European champions average 2.5 goals scored per game and concede just 0.4. The Saudis, meanwhile, have 0.8 goals scored and 1.2 conceded per match.
Previous Matches: Spain vs Saudi Arabia
The European giants have won all three previous head-to-head encounters, including at the 2006 World Cup.
It’s hard to believe the Euro winners will stumble again. The prediction is a win for Spain with a “-2 goals” handicap (odds – 1.60).
Spain vs Saudi Arabia: Key Stats and Trends
Spain have drawn four of their last six matches
30% of Spain’s matches see both teams score, with an average total of 2.9 goals per match
Saudi Arabia have lost five of their last seven matches
40% of Saudi Arabia’s matches feature goals from both teams, with an average total of 2.0 goals per match
Spain vs Saudi Arabia: Possible Starting Lineups
Spain’s likely 4-3-3 formation: Simon – Cucurella, Cubarsí, Laporte, Llorente – Pedri, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz – Gavi, Oyarzabal, Yamal
Saudi Arabia’s likely 4-4-2 formation: Al-Owais – Al-Amri, Tambakti, Al-Harbi, Abdelhamid – Al-Shamat, Kanno, Al-Khaibari, Al-Dawsari – Al-Juwaier, Al-Buraikan.
