Spain vs Georgia

Estadio Nuevo Vivero plays host to Spain’s must-win World Cup qualifier against massive underdogs Georgia.

Desperate to bounce back from a 2-1 away loss to Sweden in their most recent World Cup qualifier, the Spaniards play host to a side they have defeated in all three World Cup qualifying duels by an aggregate score of 5-1. Midweek’s failure in Sweden marked Spain’s first defeat in World Cup qualifiers since 1993, though it has not compromised their hopes of landing a top-two finish in Group B. But ‘La Furia Roja’ have already dropped more points after four matches than they did throughout the entire 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, highlighting a steady decline. A loss to Sweden also brought Spain’s astonishing 66-game unbeaten run in World Cup qualifying fixtures to a halt (W52, D14), putting pressure on head coach Luis Enrique to deliver a win here.

Despite keeping their 2022 World Cup qualifying matches competitive, the visitors are still waiting for their first victory in Group B (D1, L3). On a positive note, each of their four outings saw the sides separated at full-time by under 1.5 goals. Georgia’s hopes of putting an end to their 21-game winless run in World Cup qualifying fixtures (D8, L13) look far-fetched, especially given their paltry goalscoring record of two goals from four Group B outings. What’s more, the ‘Crusaders’ have failed to win any of their last four internationals on foreign soil (D3, L1), though they can at least find some comfort in finding the net in three of those clashes. Defensively robust, Willy Sagnol’s men have conceded under 1.5 goals in seven of their previous eight World Cup qualifying matches.