Spain vs Greece live on March 25, 2021: How to watch this 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier live in 140+ countries

March 25, 2021 By Ali M.

Topics: TV Schedules, Spain, Greece, FIFA World Cup Qualifying

La Furia Roja kick off their campaign to qualify for Qatar 2022 and will be keen on starting with a win over Greece. Here's a preview of Thursday's clash.

Spain vs Greece – preview

Spain kick off their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign on Thursday, taking on Greece on Matchday 1 of the European qualifiers. The 2010 champions will host their opponents at the Estadio Nuevo Los Cármenes in Granada for this 3:45 p.m. ET clash as Luis Enrique's men look to start things off with a bang.

Despite enduring disappointing campaigns in their last two FIFA World Cup outings, crashing out in the group stage in 2014 and bowing out in the round of 16 in Russia 2018, La Furia Roja remain one of the best national teams in world football. Furthermore, given the teams they will be competing with for a spot in Qatar 2022, Spain are the favorites to go through.

Besides Thursday's opponents Greece, Ramos and Co. will have to fend off competition from Sweden, Georgia, and Kosovo for the one and only automatic qualification, with the Swedes being their biggest threat. Furthermore, Spain won all three of their home games last year without conceding a goal, losing only once throughout the eight matches they played in 2020.

Should the hosts beat the 2004 European Championship winners, they would stretch their winning streak on home soil to 10 successive games. Luis Enrique's men are in great form, having beaten Germany 6-0 in their last outing, with Man City star Ferran Torres scoring a hat-trick in that thrashing. However, given what is on the horizon for La Furia Roja, the gaffer might opt for one of two things: resting his key players or testing out something different with his lineup and tactics.

Spain are gearing up for this summer's Euros 2020 tournament and have a UEFA Nations League semi-final showdown with Italy to take care of in early October. As a result, Enrique could have his eyes on those two tournaments when his side host Greece.

As for the visitors, while they have become renowned for their defensive solidity, conceding only one goal and registering four clean sheets in the UEFA Nations League, John van't Schip's side failed to secure promotion to League B mainly due to their attacking deficiencies. If Greece are to end their eight-year absence from the FIFA World Cup, they will need an excellent qualifying campaign, starting with Thursday's trip to Granada.

Team news

Spain: Kepa Arrizabalaga failed to make the roster, meaning David de Gea is all but destined to start. Sergio Ramos continues to fight for fitness and is thus unlikely to start. Ferran Torres, who has found playing time hard to come by at Man City as of late, is expected to lead the line alongside Juventus striker Alvaro Morata while Barcelona sensation Pedri will be keen on making his international debut.

Greece: Arsenal center-back Dinos Mavropanos, who has impressed on loan to Stuttgart, could start this game. It will be interesting to see whether Liverpool's Kostas Tsimikas or Norwich's Dimitris Giannoulis gets the nod at the left-back spot. Kostas Fortounis is all but destined to lead the line on Thursday.

Key stats

Spain have lost only once since crashing out of the 2018 World Cup at the hands of Russia on penalties.
The visitors are unbeaten in their last nine fixtures, last losing in their Euro 2020 qualifier against Italy.
These two nations have met eight times before, with Greece managing only one victory over La Furia Roja.
The last time these European sides faced off, Spain triumphed via a 2-1 score line.