Spain vs Sweden: Tense battle on the cards with an automatic WC spot at stake

Topics: TV Schedules, TV Listings, Spain, Sweden, 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers

Spain and Sweden will lock horns with an automatic position at the 2022 World Cup at stake.

Preview: Spain vs Sweden

It's set to be a tense affair when Spain and Sweden lock horns, with top spot in their group at stake. La Roja presently sit one point ahead of Sweden, meaning that this game will ultimately decide who takes top spot in Group B. The hosts come into this match having secured a win over Greece, albeit it was much harder than they'd expected as Greece presented a tougher opponent. Pablo Sarabia's first half penalty proved to be the deciding factor, and marked a return to winning ways after Luis Enrique's men lost 2-1 to France in the UEFA Nations League final.

Meanwhile, Sweden suffered a shock 2-0 loss to Georgia, which saw the Blågult slide into second place. Unfortunately, Zlatan Ibrahimovic's return to the international arena wasn't enough to help them secure a win over the Eastern European minnows. As such, the Swedes will be looking to rebound here after beating Spain 2-1 in the reverse fixture.

For Spain, a point would suffice to ensure an automatic berth in next year's World Cup. Simply put, after poor performances in the 2014 and 2018 editions, La Roja are really keen on making amends and announcing themselves on the world stage once again. They did make major strides towards that with a strong showing at this past summer's EURO tournament, but will look to back that up with a deep run at the upcoming World Cup. Of course, they have Sweden, who had a disappointing 2018 World Cup, standing in their way, with the Blågult hoping not to qualify for it via two-legged play-off.

Who will triumph in what will be a tough battle on Sunday?

Team news: Spain vs Sweden

Spain: Ansu Fati, Yeremi Pino and Eric Garcia are all out for the hosts after suffering injuries before the game against Greece, while Gavi had to be subbed out following a facial injury, but could be back in time to feature in Enrique's starting XI.

Sweden: The visitors have now gotten a boost, with Albin Ekdal back from a ban, and he'll return to the starting XI ahead of this match.