Spain Vs Kosovo
Spain Vs Kosovo Wednesday, 31st March 2021 – 19:45
World Cup Qualifier
Pick: Spain Win & Over 3.5 Goals
Odds: 23/20
Bookmaker: Betway
(All betting odds correct at time of writing: 29th March 2021)
Preview: It speaks of the standards set by Spain that four points out of six is simply not good enough, as they look to reel in Group B leaders Sweden by beating 117-ranked Kosovo at the Estadio Olimpico in Seville.
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Table of Contents
Spain – La Roja can put early struggles to bed?
So far the one-time World Cup winners are yet to scale the heights expected of them in this qualifying campaign. First it was Greece who capitalised on the generous award of a second-half penalty to claim a memorable 1-1 result in Granada, before Georgia very nearly caused one of the biggest upsets in World Cup qualifying history when beaten only at the death, after leading in Tbilisi, by Dani Olmo’s superb strike.
The table shows Spain in second on four points, trailing leaders Sweden by two ahead of their scheduled meeting in September. It makes Wednesday’s date with Kosovo, the lowest ranking member of this section, a must win for coach Luis Enrique who was, understandably, quick to deflect from another under par team performance in Georgia by stressing the importance attaining all three points was to their cause.
The recurring theme thus far has been opponents setting up to make life difficult for the 2010 world champions. It has worked to a large extent. However, this fixture could represent a welcome breather from facing disciplined backlines. Kosovo were sliced open time and again by the Swedes on Sunday while La Roja prefer playing in Spain, recording nine straight home wins prior to the Greek stalemate.
Kosovo – Scoring in Sevilla a realistic target?
Qualification was never really on the agenda for Kosovo, soundly beaten 3-0 at home by Sweden in their opening group game. It was the sort of display which points towards another long and arduous campaign – they lost nine of ten matches during World Cup 2018 qualifying. But there were clear signs of progression during Euro 2020 qualifying, picking up 11 points from eight games to finish third of five teams.
The momentum garnered from those hugely encouraging exploits appears to have dissipated, though, with only a couple of wins over Lithuania and Moldova to show for across their past thirteen internationals (D2 L10). The blank at home to Sweden was just their first for five games, though, having found the net in seven of the previous nine as well as all-but one of their last five away from home (D2 L3).
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Spain Vs Kosovo Betting Advice
Luis Enrique has overseen a sluggish start to World Cup 2022 qualifying as Spain manager, following up a 1-1 draw at home to Greece by scraping past Georgia. The type of opponents we would ordinarily expect them to cruise past, possibly even trounce. Victory in Seville, though, ensures they wrap up this March international break atop the group ahead of their crunch meeting with Sweden in September.
Spain Vs Kosovo – Key Facts:
- These countries are competing against one another for the first time. Spain have four points from two games so far while Kosovo remain pointless after featuring only once.
- Prior to Greece claiming a hard-earned 1-1 draw on Thursday, Spain had recorded nine consecutive wins as the home side – eight of those being ‘to nil’.
- Kosovo do possess a useful knack for scoring, though, finding the back of the opposing net in four of their previous five away matches (D2 L3).
By all accounts, Kosovo were very disappointing in their opening qualifier, failing to muster a single shot on target at home to Sweden who managed double figures for this statistic in a 3-0 win. Kosovo’s momentum from the Euro 2020 qualifiers has been and gone it seems. Spain are seeking a tenth win in eleven home matches and should do so with ease here, prevailing by 4+ goals in five of the last seven at home.
Best Betting Odds – Spain Vs Kosovo
Spain – 1/7 (PaddyPower)
Draw – 8/1 (BetVictor)
Kosovo – 25/1 (BetVictor)
