- Spain have won 2 and drawn 3 of their last 5 games in all competitions.
- Saudi Arabia have won 1, drawn 2 and lost 2 of their last 5 matches.
Saudis to hold firm against La Roja
Saudi Arabia have become very difficult to beat since the appointment of Georgios Donis as manager in April, with the new coach's compact, risk-averse system yet to be breached since its inception.
Sunday's World Cup Group H clash between Spain and Saudi Arabia will undoubtedly be a clash of styles at the Atlanta Stadium, USA, with possession and patient probing on the one hand and defensive discipline and a counter-attacking on the other.
Spain's 4-3-3 system revolves around ball retention, positional play and getting their full backs forward to create overloading situations. When they do lose possession, Luis de la Fuente's team have the ability to press the opposition high up the pitch and win it back, but it's more of a physical, high-intensity possession game these days than one of smooth, passing play.
Both teams unlikely to score in tense game
Saudi Arabia will set up in a 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1 system, but whichever of these they choose, the priority will be defensive shape, while their forwards will be looking to make runs in behind Spain's defensive line. It's not a system that suits them as a possession team, but they are quick in the vertical play and can be dangerous on the counter.
Both Spain and Saudi Arabia have 1 point from their opening match in Group H, with Saudi Arabia in second place by goal difference and Spain third. Saudi Arabia have avoided defeat in their last 3, while Spain have drawn their only match in this tournament, so the draw looks the safest play on the match result odds.
However, we can expect a cagey affair with Spain likely to be patient and Saudi Arabia compact, so our fancy is to back both teams not to score in the match. With both sides solid defensively, the odds on 'Both teams to score - No' are very generous at 37/100 and 'Under 2.5 goals' at 39/25.
Goals could be at a premium
This fixture could be decided by an individual moment of brilliance or defensive error as there are unlikely to be too many clear chances in the game.
Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal has scored 3 of Spain's last 6 goals, all of which have come in Spain's last 6 games. Abdulelah Al Amri is the Saudi Arabians' leading scorer in Group H with 1 goal, while Abdullah Al-Hamdan has scored 2 of their last 5 goals in all competitions.
