Spain chase a first win against Saudi Arabia after the Cape Verde stumble

Spain came to this World Cup as one of the favourites and left their opening night with a single point and plenty of questions. They get the chance to answer them on Sunday against Saudi Arabia in Atlanta, in a Group H that nobody has managed to take charge of yet. Kick-off is at 9:30pm IST.

The draw with Cape Verde was the story of the group’s first round. Luis de la Fuente’s side had the ball for long spells at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium and did almost nothing with it, grinding to a 0-0 that ranked among the bigger surprises of the tournament so far. They return to the same ground six days later knowing a second slip would turn a routine-looking group into a genuine problem.

A group nobody has taken charge of

Group H could hardly be tighter. Spain, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay and Cape Verde all sit on a point apiece after the opening round, with the two fancied sides, Spain and Uruguay, both held. Saudi Arabia earned their point the hard way, leading Uruguay through Abdulelah Al-Amri before Maximiliano Araujo levelled late, and goalkeeper Mohammed Al-Owais was busy enough to suggest they will defend deep and make life uncomfortable again.

The other Sunday fixture, Uruguay against Cape Verde in Miami, means the table could look very different by the time these sides are done. A win for Spain would settle the nerves and probably put them top, at least until Uruguay and Cape Verde have their say.

Spain have the players, if not yet the goals

For all the frustration of the opener, Spain still carry the most creative talent in the group. Pedri pulls the strings in midfield, and Lamine Yamal, carefully managed back from a hamstring problem and used off the bench against Cape Verde, gives de la Fuente a matchwinner to call on against a Saudi side likely to sit deep. The problem on Monday was finishing rather than creating chances. The supercomputers still make Spain heavy favourites, with Opta putting their win probability close to 87 percent.

The caution is that Saudi Arabia have already shown they can frustrate a possession-heavy team. They sat in against Uruguay, rode their luck at times, and came away with a result. If Spain are as blunt in the final third as they were against Cape Verde, the same script could play out, and the pressure on de la Fuente would start to build properly.

What is at stake

This is the kind of fixture Spain are expected to win comfortably, which is exactly why it carries risk. Win well and the Cape Verde result is quickly forgotten. Draw again, or worse, and a side that arrived among the contenders would be staring at a nervy final group game with qualification far from assured. For Saudi Arabia, another point against one of the tournament favourites would be a result worth celebrating on its own.

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