Spain v Scotland preview: Scots on brink of greatness and Euros spot
La Roja were beaten 2-0 in Glasgow and left furious at their hosts’ style of play, with midfielder Rodri condemning it as “not football”.
But Spain have certainly found their footballing feet since, winning four straight matches in all competitions, aggregating an impressive 13 goals across their two most recent ECQs.
Victory here is crucial in extending the distance between themselves and the chasing pack in Group A, as defeat could otherwise potentially see them leapfrogged by Norway.
With boss Luis de la Fuente still swept up in the fallout of the Luis Rubiales fiasco, there are plenty of off-field distractions that could hinder their preparations. One thing certainly in their favour is their home form, with Spain winning 24 consecutive home ECQ matches, 16 of which were accompanied by a clean sheet.
Standing in their way are a Scottish side on the brink of greatness, as they need just a single point from this clash to secure safe passage to the Euros in 2024.
A sixth successive ECQ victory would certainly do the trick, but they’ll have to end Spain’s four-year period of home clean sheets in ECQs. Six points clear of their opponents atop of Group A, Steve Clarke’s men have every right to be confident of being the ones to do it.
The Tartan Army are also unbeaten in each of their last nine competitive internationals (W8, D1), but Clarke acknowledges his side will “have to do everything right” if they’re to repeat their H2H victory in March.
Doing so would make history, as their only win as the away side in this fixture came way back in 1963, with the great Denis Law on target in a 6-2 victory at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Players to watch: Álvaro Morata is in red hot form, netting 11 times in 12 appearances for club and country this term, including a hat-trick against Georgia in the last international break.
Scott McTominay appears to be Scotland’s danger man, scoring both goals in March’s H2H victory, while he netted twice beyond the 90th minute in Manchester United’s 2-1 victory over Brentford at the weekend.
Hot stat: Spain’s average of four goals scored per game was the joint-best of this ECQ cycle heading into the matchweek.
