Spain will be hosting Sweden on Sunday to Sevilla. They know that in order to claim the first spot in Group B and secure qualification for next year’s World Cup, they need to avoid any defeat by all means possible.
La Roja are coming to the Sunday encounter off the back of a slim 1-0 win over Greece on Thursday. Sweden on the other hand suffered 2-0 defeat in Georgia and are only one point behind their opponents Spain.
Spain did not participate in any World Cup last month because of the engagement in the UEFA Nations League. They defeated Italy in the semi-finals 2-1 then lost 2-1 to France in the final.
Luis Enrique’s side came back to the Group B World Cup action Thursday and managed to move above Sweden after a 1-0 win over Greece to see them top the section.
Sweden’s loss to Georgia allowed Spain move to the summit and are one point clear on the top of the group.
As such getting one point in the match is enough to guarantee them an automatic spot in the World Cup next year, only leaving Sweden to face the playoffs, however Spain had lost 2-1 to Sweden when they last had an encounter in September.
Spain have failed to take the World Cup after last winning in 2010, then they were eliminated in group stages in 2014 after which they reached the round of 16 in 2018. However they had a good performance in this summer’s European Championship reaching the semi-finals of the tournament.
According to the current standings, Janne Andersson’s side are facing playoffs for them to qualify for the next year’s competition, however if they win over Spain on Sunday they would move to the top of the section.
Sweden performed well in the 2018 World Cup, as they reached the quarter-finals then suffered a 2-0 defeat to England.
Spain vs Sweden Head to Head
In the recent seven encounters between the pair, Spain has dominated over Sweden by winning three games, however Sweden are not much behind because they have won in two. They had two draws. Spain have scored 7 goals and conceded 4 goals in their last five clashes in all competitions.
Sweden 1-2 Spain 14/06/08
Spain 3-0 Sweden 10/06/19
Sweden 1-1 Spain 15/10/19
Spain 0-0 Sweden 14/06/21
Sweden 2-1 Spain 02/09/21
Spain latest home form
La Roja had not had a bad record at home though they lost their last home game 1-2 to France. However, they have won two and drawn two in their latest matches in the homeground. They have scored 10 goals and conceded 3 at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in all competitions.
Spain 4-0 Lithuania 08/06/21
Spain 0-0 Sweden 14/06/21
Spain 1-1 Poland 19/06/21
Spain 4-0 Georgia 05/09/21
Spain 1-2 France 10/10/21
Spain latest away form
Spain have seen themselves improve in their latest recent away matches as they have won in their last three games on the road. However, the had lost two before. In all the last five matches, they have scored seven goals and conceded four goals in all competitions away from home.
Italy 1-1 Spain 06/07/21
Sweden 2-1 Spain 02/09/21
Kosovo 0-2 Spain 08/09/21
Italy 1-2 Spain 06/10/21
Greece 0-1 Spain 11/11/21
Sweden latest home form
The Blue and Yellows have kept a good form at home recently, losing only once in the extra time 1-2 to Ukraine in their last ten recent matches. They have won four of their last five games in all competitions, recently having beaten Kosovo 3-0 and Greece 2-0 in the World Cup competition.
Sweden 1-2 Ukraine 29/06/21
Sweden 2-1 Spain 02/09/21
Sweden 2-1 Uzbekistan 05/09/21
Sweden 3-0 Kosovo 09/10/21
Sweden 2-0 Greece 12/10/21
Sweden latest away form
On the road recently Sweden seem to be wavering due to their less impresing performance. They have only managed to win once and draw once in their last latest away matches in all competitions. They have lost their last two matches away from home after managing a 0-0 draw with Spain.
France 4-2 Sweden 17/11/20
Kosovo 0-3 Sweden 28/03/21
Spain 0-0 Sweden 14/06/21
Greece 2-1 Sweden 08/09/21
Georgia 2-0 Sweden 11/11/21
Spain news
Yeremi Pino, Ansu Fati and Eric Garcia were lost from the squad ahead of the game against Greece. Dani Olmo and Sergio Busquets are likely to feature for Spain in Seville, replacing Raul de Tomas and Rodri in the attack and midfield. Alba is also pushing for a spot in first XI.
Sweden news
Albin Ekdal is back from suspension and will feature in among the first XI, As Dejan Kulusevski is pushing for involvement for Sweden. Victor Claesson and Mattias Svanberg would probably be benched, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Alexander Isak featuring as the front two.
Prediction and Odds
La Roja are enjoying themselves with their victory over Greece, giving Enrique’s a good chance to round off their World Cup campaign in a perfect way. However, Sweden will be going at Spain with high hope of winning because they have players who are capable of taking a win.
Odds: 1 2.30 X 2.95 2 2.50
Probable outcomes
Spain 2-0 Sweden
Spain 2-1 Sweden
Spain 1-0 Sweden
Spain 2-2 Sweden
Spain 0-1 Sweden
