Spain vs Saudi Arabia

Spain will be looking to record their first win of the World Cup when they take on Saudi Arabia in their second group-stage match. As Lamine Yamal returns to the starting XI for La Roja, we predict a 3-0 home win. The European champions were surprisingly held to a goalless draw by Cape Verde in their opener, but the result does not tell the full story. Luis de la Fuente's side completely dominated proceedings, registering 27 goal attempts and 2.10 expected goals, only to be denied by poor finishing and inspired defending. The good news for Spain is that Barcelona superstar Lamine Yamal is expected to return to the starting XI after featuring as a substitute in the opener, while Nico Williams is also pushing for a place in attack.

Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, produced one of the surprises of the opening round by holding Uruguay to a 1-1 draw. Georgios Donis' men showed great discipline and organization, but they now face a Spanish side desperate to make amends. The Green Falcons have struggled for consistency recently, winning only two of their last ten matches while averaging just 0.8 goals per game. Their expected goals figure of 0.93 also highlights their difficulties in creating clear-cut chances. With no fresh injury concerns, Saudi Arabia should once again adopt a cautious approach and look to frustrate their opponents.

La Roja dominated Cape Verde and should turn their superiority into three points this time. Therefore, Home Win seems like a sure bet, alongside Yamal to Score and Spain to Win to Nil (Spain have kept clean sheets in 70% of their last ten matches, while Saudi Arabia average only 0.8 goals per game).