Spain made its mark on the World Cup against Saudi Arabia.
After drawing nil-nil with Cape Verde in their opening match, La Furia Roja put the record right with a 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia to leap to the top of Group H.
A win over Uruguay would clinch first place for the Spaniards, but they’d likely still top the set with a draw.
Uruguay needs to avoid defeat if it wants to clinch a spot in the Round of 32.
World Cup: Spain vs. Uruguay odds, prediction
Uruguay didn’t come into the tournament with high expectations, but very few people would have predicted they’d be in this position. Group H, which also includes Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, looked straightforward. Spain would win it, Uruguay would comfortably finish as runners-up, and the other two nations would battle it out for third place.
Not so fast.
Uruguay drew against both Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, putting themselves in a really precarious situation against arguably the best team in the world.
Further complicating matters is that this stylistic matchup really favors La Roja.
Uruguay manager Marcelo Bielsa demands that his team apply pressure and move the ball quickly, no matter the opponent. That all-action approach can pay dividends against opponents who struggle in possession, but Spain doesn’t fit that bill.
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The Spaniards may have struggled breaking down Cape Verde’s patient defense, but they should have no issues finding space against Bielsa’s aggressive outfit.
This should be a pretty entertaining, free-flowing contest, and one goal for Spain would force this game to open up even more, as Uruguay will need to go for broke to find an equalizer.
This should be quite a fun day at the office for Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Nico Williams.
Back the Spaniards to send Uruguay out of the tournament in a rout.
The Play: Spain -1.5 (+142, FanDuel)
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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
