Overview
Up to this point, Spain has shown impressive form in Group E. They opened the qualifying campaign with a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria, before continuing to crush Turkey 6-0 just 3 days later. La Roja won all 6 absolute points after two matches.
Spain is considered the leading candidate for the top spot, and they aim to extend their winning streak when facing Georgia and Bulgaria in turn. They will then head into two key matches against Georgia and Turkey in November.
Under the leadership of coach Luis de la Fuente, Spain is currently the reigning European champions, after defeating England in the EURO 2024 final. They won the 2010 World Cup before that, but their last three tournaments were a disappointment when they were eliminated early. They stopped at the group stage in 2014, and left the game from the round of 16 in 2018 and 2022.
Obviously, the team from the land of cow country still has many things to improve if it wants to return to the top in the upcoming 2026 World Cup. However, the history of confrontations is in their favor. Spain have won 7 out of 8 times facing Georgia in all competitions, including a 4-1 victory in the round of 16 of EURO 2024.
Georgia, in its first appearance in a major tournament, has become an interesting phenomenon at EURO 2024. They have excellently reached the round of 16 and received many compliments from experts and fans.
Now, The Crusaders are trying to continue the fairy tale with the goal of winning a ticket to the 2026 World Cup - something that has never happened in the history of football in this country. In the squad, they possess many remarkable talents, most notably Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a star of Paris Saint-Germain and the soul of the team's attacking play.
Coach Willy Sagnol's team opened the qualifying campaign with a narrow 2-3 defeat to Turkey at home. However, they quickly regained their spirit with a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria.
Currently, Georgia is second in Group E, 3 points behind leaders Spain and has the same score as Turkey. Therefore, the upcoming confrontation with La Roja is a key milestone in the race for tickets to the US, Canada and Mexico in 2026.
However, the history of confrontations does not support them. Georgia's only victory over Spain was in an international friendly in June 2016. Since then, they have lost five consecutive games, including a heavy 1-7 defeat in the 2024 EURO qualifiers.
Personnel situation
Luis de la Fuente will not have his strongest squad as Dean Huijsen is forced to withdraw from the call-up list due to a calf injury. Aymeric Laporte has been called up to strengthen the defense, while a series of other key players such as Dani Carvajal, Rodri, Fermin Lopez, Gavi, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal are also absent due to injury.
In that context, Mikel Oyarzabal, Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo are likely to join the La Roja attack trio in the match against Georgia this weekend.
In midfield, Arsenal duo Martin Zubimendi and Mikel Merino are expected to start, bringing a balance between defense and ball development.
The absence of Carvajal and Huijsen opens up opportunities for Pau Cubarsi and Pedro Porro to play, while Marc Cucurella is likely to take up the left-back position for the European champions.
On the other side of the front line, Georgia received good news when Kvaratskhelia was ready to return after a thigh injury that kept him absent from PSG's most recent match. The striker was expected to feature for the first leg of the trip to Spain, giving a big boost to the visitors.
However, Giorgi Chakvetadze will still be absent due to injury. In addition, Willgi Sagnol's familiar formation has remained almost unchanged, with Giorgi Mamardashvili holding the goal and Georges Mikautadze being the biggest hope in attack.
Expected lineup:
Spain: Simon, Porro, Le Normand, Cubarsi, Cucurella, Pedri, Merino, Zubimendi, Olmo, Oyarzabal, F. Torres.
Georgia: Mamardashvili, Kakabadze, Kashia, Goglichidze,ovi, Gagnidze, Kochorashvili, Mek Mekvabishvili, Davitashvili, Mikautadze, Kvaratskhelia.
The match between Spain and Georgia takes place at 1:45 am on October 12 (Vietnam time).
