Spain suffered a setback to their World Cup Group B qualifying campaign on matchday 1 courtesy of a 1-1 draw versus Greece.
They nearly suffered a second setback on matchday 2 against Georgia but Dani Olmo’s second-minute of second half stoppage-time goal rescued all three points.
🙉 ¿He escuchado que echabais de menos la ración de goles y paradas del entrenamiento de hoy en el Benito Villamarín?😉 Pues se acabó la espera. Aquí tenéis el vídeo recién editadito.#SomosEspaña #SomosFederación pic.twitter.com/8Fi1I0MElY— Selección Española de Fútbol (@SeFutbol) March 29, 2021
🙉 ¿He escuchado que echabais de menos la ración de goles y paradas del entrenamiento de hoy en el Benito Villamarín?😉 Pues se acabó la espera. Aquí tenéis el vídeo recién editadito.#SomosEspaña #SomosFederación pic.twitter.com/8Fi1I0MElY
Now, Spain go into matchday 3 of Group B qualifying against bottom of the table Kosovo with the hope of keeping pace with group leaders Sweden.
A win for Spain would actually take them to the top of Group B as Sweden will not play on Wednesday night due to the group being made up of five teams.
Kosovo have played just once thus far in World Cup qualifying. They fell 3-0 to Sweden on matchday 2. Manager Bernard Challandes needs to lead the team to a result against the Spanish before they fall too far away from the top two places in Group B.
Challandes’ team have won just two of their last 10 games in all competitions. Those wins came against poor international sides – Moldova and Lithuania – which doesn’t give much hope for a shock upset of the Spanish on Wednesday night.
Luis Enrique needs to collect all three points against Kosovo this week. The manager cannot risk the team underperforming for a third straight World Cup qualifier. Against Greece, Spain couldn’t hold a lead and versus Georgia, they had to fight from behind.
The manager has every reason to be concerned with the team’s form and struggles going into the game on Wednesday. Olmo could get a start in the team after rescuing Spain while Ferran Torres could start once more after he scored versus Georgia.
It is debatable which Kosovo side will show up in Seville this week. Will it be the side that thrashed Lithuania 4-0 or the team that were defeated by Sweden 3-0?
Challandes’ team should make note of Spain’s troubles going into the game. A famous point could be collected, but Kosovo will have to be nearly perfect.
Enrique’s team should be far better on Wednesday night despite fatigue setting in for both teams. The Spanish should move into first place with their best performance of World Cup Group B qualifying. La Roja should claim a win to nil as Kosovo continue to struggle against the top teams in the group.
The victory will set Spain up for an epic top of the group clash with Sweden in September’s international break.