Spain vs Saudi Arabia – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

Spain and Saudi Arabia meet on Sunday, with both nations still searching for their first victory of the tournament.

Luis de la Fuente’s side were held to a goalless draw by tournament debutants Cape Verde in their opener, despite dominating possession and creating a host of chances. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, produced a disciplined display to claim a point against Uruguay. With Group H finely balanced, three points for either side would go a long way towards securing a place in the knockout rounds.

Spain vs Saudi Arabia – Match preview and team news

Spain team news

The key question for De la Fuente is whether Lamine Yamal can start from the first whistle. The Barcelona forward came off the bench for the final 19 minutes against Cape Verde, having only just recovered from a hamstring injury sustained at the end of April. The expectation is that he is now ready to start. Nico Williams is similarly pushing for a place in the XI after a late substitute appearance in the opener.

Should both come in from the start, Ferran Torres and Gavi are likely to drop to the bench. Spain are also dealing with a couple of additional fitness concerns. New Liverpool signing Víctor Muñoz has picked up an injury and remains unavailable, while Mikel Merino is also nursing a knock ahead of the fixture.

Saudi Arabia team news

Georgios Donis has no fresh injury concerns and is expected to name an unchanged side from the XI that drew with Uruguay. Abdulelah Al Amri, who opened the scoring against Uruguay, continues to anchor the defensive backline. Captain Salem Al-Dawsari retains his starting spot on the left wing. The veteran attacker has scored 27 times in 111 international appearances. Firas Al Buraikan leads the attack once again.

Form

Spain

Spain’s opener against Cape Verde was a deeply frustrating afternoon. De la Fuente’s side dominated 74 per cent of possession and registered 27 shots, yet failed to find a way through. The goalless draw sparked considerable debate about their attacking efficiency, and the pressure is firmly on to deliver a more clinical performance on Sunday.

Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia earned a thoroughly satisfying point against Uruguay in their opener. Al Amri put them ahead before Maxi Araujo’s late equaliser denied the Green Falcons all three points. Donis earned praise for a disciplined, compact defensive display that frustrated the South Americans throughout. The same approach will be required against a Spain side considerably more dangerous than Uruguay when firing on all cylinders.

Predicted lineups

Spain possible starting XI: Simon; Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Ruiz, Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Oyarzabal, N. Williams

Saudi Arabia possible starting 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 vs Saudi Arabia?

UK viewers can watch the match live and free-to-air on BBC One, with a live stream available via BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website.

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