Spain eye first World Cup win as Saudi Arabia aim to spring another surprise

Spain will be desperate to secure their first
victory of the Fifa World Cup when they take on Saudi Arabia in a crucial Group
H clash, with both teams looking to strengthen their chances of reaching the knockout
stage.
The match kicks off at 10pm (BST) at
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta tonight (21 June).
La Roja were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by
tournament debutants Cabo Verde in their opening match despite dominating
possession and creating the better chances.
The result left Luis de la Fuente's side under
pressure to deliver against a disciplined Saudi Arabia that also started its
campaign with a draw.
The 18-year-old star boy Lamine Yamal was named
on the bench and came on only in the 71st minute. With Spain needing a World
Cup reset, many thought Yamal would be back in the starting lineup, but he said
that will not be the case just yet.
"I'm fine, I'm feeling good, but it's too
soon, it's unnecessary; I'm still settling in – it's not the right time to play
a full match yet – but I can play for as many minutes as the manager
wants," Yamal told Spanish public television TVE on Friday.
"I want to be on the pitch; at the end of
the day, even if you know you can't play for 90 minutes, you always want to
get out there and help the team."
Nico Williams is also battling his way back to
fitness after injury, though he played few minutes against Cabo Verde.
The team, also facing a number of fitness
concerns, as Victor Munoz is ruled out due to injury, while Mikel Merino is
also a doubt as he continues to recover from a knock, reports Yahoo Sports.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia earned an impressive 1-1
result against Uruguay after producing a resilient defensive display and are
expected to adopt a similar approach against one of the tournament favourites.
Coach Georgios Donis believes Spain would lose
much of their attacking edge if teenage star Lamine Yamal and winger Nico
Williams are unavailable after both picked up fitness concerns in the opening
game.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, are expected to field a
full-strength side and will once again rely on goalkeeper Mohammed Alowais and
midfielder Mohamed Kanno to frustrate their opponents before launching quick
counter-attacks.
The match carries significant importance for
both teams after they collected one point each from their opening fixtures.
A victory would put either side in a strong
position to qualify for the Round of 32 ahead of the final Group H matches.
History strongly favours the European giants,
who have won all three previous meetings between the two nations, including a
1-0 victory at the 2006 World Cup and a 5-0 win in their last encounter in an
international friendly in 2012.
Spain possible starting XI: Simon; Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte,
Cucurella; Ruiz, Rodri, Pedri; Ferran, Olmo, Gavi.
Saudi Arabia possible starting XI: Al Owais; Abdulhamid, Al Amri, Al
Tambakti, Al-Harbi; Al Shamat, Kanno, Akhaibari, Al-Dawsari; Al-Buraikan,
Al-Juwayr.
















