- Spain have won five games in a row, including 1-0 against Portugal, 2-1 against Belgium and 2-0 against France in the FIFA World Cup knockout phase.
- Argentina have won their last five games, including 3-2 against Egypt, 3-1 after extra time against Switzerland and 2-1 against England in the FIFA World Cup knockout.
Stalemate unlikely as two powerhouses clash
Spain and Argentina meet in what will be one of the most interesting and competitive matches in the entire 2026 FIFA World Cup on Sunday.
Luis de la Fuente has done a fantastic job since December 2022, getting Spain to play with the possession-heavy 4-3-3 but with the added dimension of a high press and sharp wingers.
The 2020 Euros winners have won their last ten matches across all competitions with seven victories and three draws to come into this game with great momentum. They have scored 17 goals in ten with an average of 1.70, which shows that they have not been running riot but rather carving out goals in a controlled manner.
Lionel Scaloni has been at the helm of Argentina since August 2018 and has moulded a side that are compact enough to stop the ball, but flexible enough to spread the ball and punish opponents in transition.
They are winning their last ten matches across all competitions and have scored 29 times in that run. That's an incredible average of 2.90 goals per game, which is why the 2022 World Cup holders look very dangerous in transition.
Spain's Oyarzabal offers similar threat to Messi
There may be a clash of styles here with Spain hoping to spread the field and control the rhythm of the game while Argentina looking to pounce when the game opens up.
The draw could be possible if Spain control the tempo as they did against France, but our belief is that Argentina are so dangerous in counterattack that they have a good chance of breaking through at some point.
Mikel Oyarzabal is a key man for Spain as he's found the net three times in four FIFA World Cup knockout clashes and has four goals in his last five for Spain. Leo Messi has three goals and four assists in his side's last five and is the difference-maker for Argentina.
