SPAIN are aiming to maintain their momentum ahead of the European Championship as they host Northern Ireland in an international friendly on Saturday. The Spaniards have looked solid lately and should be too strong for their Irish visitors.
Spain qualified for Euro 2024 with relative ease after claiming seven wins from eight matches. Luis de la Fuente's men have shown no signs of slowing down and were particularly rampant on Wednesday as they triumphed 5-0 over Andorra.
The win over Andorra is part of a fine run of home results for Spain, who have claimed four wins from their last five matches in front of their fans. There have been other one-sided results in that run like the 6-0 victory over Cyprus.
Northern Ireland had very little fire during their Euro qualifiers as they were beaten seven times in 10 matches. They will view the summer friendlies as a chance to build some confidence ahead of the UEFA Nations League which kicks off in September.
Things appear to be improving for Northern Ireland, who have claimed two wins and a draw from their last three matches. Michael O’Neill’s men triumphed 1-0 over Scotland in their last fixture, although that was only their second win in the last 10 away matches.
How the bookies view it: No chance for Northern Ireland
Spain have been installed as overwhelming favourites with a home win priced at 1/10 by bet365. An unlikely victory for Northern Ireland is valued at 20/1 while a draw is set at odds of 15/2.
Head to head: Northern Ireland fall short
Spain have a 10-2 advantage with four draws from 16 previous matches against Northern Ireland. The last meeting between both teams was during the Euro 2008 qualifiers with the Spaniards claiming a 1-0 victory.
Players to watch: Oyarzabal stays hot
Mikel Oyarzabal could be the one to watch for Spain following his hat-trick off the bench last time out against Andorra. The forward is priced at 10/11 by bet365 to get on the score sheet on Saturday.
Spain were largely untroubled at the back at time out and will be keen for a similar defensive display. Robin Le Normand and Pau Cubarsi could partner at the back and can lead the Spaniards to another clean sheet at 4/7 with bet365.
Probable line-ups
Spain are likely to make changes to their team with Mikel Oyarzabal in line to start following his hat-trick off the bench last time out. The likes of Robin Le Normand, Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal could also feature from the start.
Captain Jonny Evans is expected to feature in central defence for Northern Ireland while Josh Maggenis should lead the line.
Spain: Unai Simon, Navas, Le Normand, Cubarsi, Grimaldo, Merino, Zubimemdi, Fermin, Yamal, Williams, Oyarzabal
Northern Ireland: Peacock-Farrell, Hume, McNair, Evans, Toal, Spencer, Bradley, Evans, Thompson, Charles, Maggenis
Anything else catch the eye?
Spain are expected to be dominant on Saturday and given their result against Andorra, could be backed in the -2 handicap market at 10/11 with bet365 . The Spaniards have a knack for early goals and could be backed to score within the first 10 minutes 5/2 bet365.
With Spain likely to be dominant, they could be backed to win both halves at 5/5 with bet365.
This International Friendly match between Spain and Northern Ireland will be played on Jun 8, 2024 and kick off at 20:30. Check below for our tipsters best Spain vs Northern Ireland prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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