Overview
Spain is considered one of the top candidates for the championship before the tournament starts. However, the 0-0 draw against newcomer Cabo Verde caused Luis de la Fuente's team to receive no less criticism.
La Roja completely overwhelmed the opponent with a ball possession rate of up to 74.3%, one of the highest numbers in World Cup history for a team that could not score. However, the deadlock in finishing continues to be a problem that worries fans.
Notably, Spain has now gone through 4 consecutive winless matches at the World Cup (3 draws, 1 loss), their worst streak in the history of the tournament. The last 2 matches at the World Cup both ended without any goals scored, despite the fact that the bullfighting team made up to 2,500 passes and launched 49 shots since the match against Japan at the 2022 World Cup.
One of the rare bright spots against Cabo Verde is Lamine Yamal. Although only coming on from the 71st minute, the young talent of Barcelona still performed the most dribbles in the match (5 times). With gradually regaining his best physical condition, Yamal is likely to be given a bigger chance against Saudi Arabia.
In midfield, Rodri continues to play the role of conductor when leading the opening round in the number of passes through the defense leading to shots. The creativity of the midfielder from Manchester City will be the key for Spain to find a way to penetrate the opponent's defense system.
On the other side, Saudi Arabia entered the match with an excited mentality after a 1-1 draw against Uruguay. That result became particularly valuable when Cabo Verde unexpectedly drew with Spain in the remaining match of Group H.
However, the Asian representative had to endure terrible pressure in the opening match. They let Uruguay have up to 41 touches in the penalty area and made 47 crosses. Without the excellent performance of goalkeeper Mohammed Al Owais with nine saves, Saudi Arabia would hardly have kept a point.
Al Owais continues to be the biggest hope in Georgios Donis's team's defense. Although he has never kept a clean sheet at the World Cup, he has repeatedly saved his team against strong opponents.
If they get a positive result against Spain, Saudi Arabia will be unbeaten for the first time in history after the first two matches at a World Cup. However, before the pressure and class of La Roja, this will be an extremely difficult challenge for the Asian representative.
Head-to-head record
Spain entered the confrontation with Saudi Arabia with a superior advantage in head-to-head record. In the previous three encounters, La Roja have all won, scored 9 goals and conceded only 2 times.
Notably, the only meeting between the two teams at the World Cup took place in the group stage of the 2006 World Cup. At that time, Spain won by a minimal score of 1-0 to affirm their superiority over the Asian representative.
Score prediction: Spain 3-0 Saudi Arabia
The match between Spain and Saudi Arabia takes place at 11:00 PM on June 21 (Vietnam time).
