Fresh from losing in the UEFA Nations League final, Spain turn their attention to the 2022 World Cup qualifiers with a trip to Greece. The Spaniards are attempting to close in on leaders Sweden.
Greece are currently playing catch-up to Sweden and Spain and are still in with a slim chance of progressing as they sit third on the table. They are five points off the pace with two matches left to play.
If the Greeks are to stand any chance of qualifying, they must play better than their previous fixture against Sweden. John van’t Schip’s men proved to be no match for the Swedes, who went on to claim a 2-0 victory.
Greece have claimed just two wins in six qualifying matches but the good news is they are still unbeaten at home. However, some improvement at the back is needed if they are going to keep out the Spaniards having kept just one clean sheet in their last five home matches across all competitions.
Spain travel to Greece off the back of a 2-1 defeat to France in the final of the UEFA Nations League. Despite going in front through Mikel Oyarzabal, they could not hold on to their lead and went on to concede the winner 10 minutes from time.
Sitting second in Group B of the World Cup qualifiers, Spain must quickly put the UNL defeat behind them if they are to leapfrog Sweden and claim an automatic qualification berth. They have won four of their last five matches in the qualifiers, including a 2-1 victory over Kosovo last time out.
Luis Enrique’s men also have a decent record on their travels in the qualifiers with two wins from their last three away matches. However, their defending still needs some work having conceded in two of their last three road fixtures in the qualifiers.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have installed Spain as overwhelming favourites at 9/20 with BetVictor. Despite playing at home, Greece are considered outsiders at 8/1 with betfair while a draw is set at odds of 17/5 with MansionBet.
Head to head
Spain have a 7-1 advantage with three draws from 11 previous matches against Greece. Both teams battled to a 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture back in March.
Players to watch
Anastasios Bakasetas has been one of the stars for Greece in recent times and has scored on two of his last three qualifying matches. The forward was also on target in the reverse fixture against Spain and could be backed to score on Thursday at 5/1 with bet365.
Alvaro Morata often leads the line for Spain and could be tipped to score anytime at 7/5 with Skybet. Pablo Sarabia has also shown some good form for Portuguese club Sporting CP and could be tipped in the same market at 15/8 with Paddy Power.
Anything else catch the eye?
Greece and Spain have been unconvincing at the back and both teams could be tipped to score on Thursday at 6/5 with BoyleSports. Spain have seen over 2.5 goals in their last two matches and could be set for a repeat at evens with betway.
The Spaniards could also be tipped to earn a win and over 2.5 goals at 8/5 with bet365.
This World Cup match between Greece and Spain will be played on Nov 11, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Greece vs Spain prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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