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First place will be on the line in Group B of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers as Spain and Sweden go head to head at the Estadio de La Cartuja on Sunday.
Spain currently sit top of the table with 16 points from seven games, one point above Sweden, who have enjoyed a thrilling campaign so far.
Spain returned to winning ways on Thursday as they saw off a dogged Greece side 1-0 courtesy of Pablo Sarabia’s 26th-minute penalty.
This followed a painful 2-1 defeat at the hands of France when they squared off in October’s Nations League final.
Luis Enrique’s men have now won each of their last three games in the World Cup qualifiers. They will be looking to keep the juggernaut rolling and edge closer to sealing their spot in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Sweden were denied a third win on the bounce last time out when they fell to a 2-0 loss against Georgia.
Prior to that, Jan Andersson’s men saw off Kosovo and Greece in their previous two outings, scoring five goals and conceding none in that time.
Sweden have managed just one win away from home, which came on match day two against Kosovo, and they will be looking to get back to winning ways immediately.
Spain vs Sweden Head-To-Head
Spain have a slight upper hand in the history of this fixture, claiming six wins from the last 16 meetings between the teams. Sweden have picked up four fewer wins, while six games have ended all square.
Spain vs Form Guide: W-L-W-W-W
Sweden Form Guide: L-W-W-L-W
Spain vs Sweden Team News
Spain
Brais Mendez was called up to the squad to replace Yeremi Pino, while Diego Llorente was also handed a call-up to the team at the expense of the injured Eric Garcia. Young star Ansu Fati is also injured and not a part of the qualifiers. Barcelona youngster Gavi is also a doubt after coming off injured against Greece last time out.
Injured: Yeremi Pino, Eric Garcia, Ansu Fati
Doubtful: Gavi
Suspended: None
Sweden
Sweden will be without the services of Watford midfielder Ken Sema, who was initially drafted into the team but pulled out through injury.
Their attack will be spearheaded by 40-year-old legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Injury: Ken Sema
Suspended: None
Spain vs Sweden Predicted XI
Spain Predicted XI (4-3-3): Unai Simon; Jordi Alba, Pau Torres, Aymeric Laporte, Cesar Azpilicueta; Sergio Busquets, Koke, Rodri; Dani Olmo, Pablo Sarabia, Alvaro Morata
Sweden Predicted XI (4-4-2): Robin Olsen; Emil Krafth, Victor Lindelof, Martin Olsson, Ludwig Augustinsson; Viktor Claesson, Kristoffer Olsson, Dejan Kulusevski, Emil Forsberg; Alexander Isak, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Spain vs Sweden Prediction
This game has all the makings of a thrilling and absorbing contest as just one point separates the sides at the summit of the group. We predict the Spaniards will make use of their home advantage and come away with all three points.
Prediction: Spain 2-1 Sweden
