Spain Vs Malta
Friday 15 November 2019 – 19:45 Kick-Off
UEFA Euro 2020 Qualifying
Pick: Malta +4.75 (Asian Handicap)
Odds: 17/20
Bookmaker: Bet365
UEFA Euro 2020 Betting – 22Bet
(All odds displayed were correct as of 13 November 2019 at 10:20)
Preview: All that remains for Spain, who have already wrapped up qualification, are two rather meaningless qualifiers. Both fixtures take place at home, though, with Malta first on the agenda, taking on the team currently bottom of the group at Ramon de Carranza stadium in Cadiz.
Spain Preview – Return to winning ways surely imminent?
Group F Results: 2-1 Norway (H), Malta 0-2 (A), Faroe Islands 1-4 (A), 3-0 Sweden (H), 1-2 Romania (A), 4-0 Faroe Islands (H), 1-1 Norway (A), 1-1 Sweden (A).
In the end it was all a little untidy. However Spain (1st – W6 D2 L0, GF19 GA5) have qualified from a tricky group, despite failing to win either of their previous two qualifiers. Last month’s pair of clashes with Norway in Oslo and Sweden in Solna would both end in 1-1 draws, and both would feature incredibly late goals – conceding a last-gasp penalty in the former but maintaining their unbeaten run with a 92nd-minute leveller against the latter.
Their final two qualifiers are essentially dead rubbers now. Although anything less than six points from them would still be considered disappointing despite the possibility of coach Roberto Moreno experimenting with personnel. Since succeeding Luis Enrique as La Roja coach in mid-June, Spain have won two and drawn two, conceding exactly one goal on three occasions. Hardly an alarming drop-off but a drop-off nonetheless, from a side that opened with four consecutive victories.
A mitigating factor has obviously been some tougher fixtures recently, with trips to Norway and Sweden rarely a walk in the park. These remaining two fixtures are both on Spanish soil, though. Their three home qualifiers thus far would all produce winning outcomes, overcoming Faroe Islands (4-0), Norway (2-1) and Sweden (3-0) while England are the only side to have beaten them on their own patch for over three years.
Malta Preview – Another ultra-defensive performance anticipated?
Group F Results: 2-1 Faroe Islands (H), 0-2 Spain (H), Sweden 3-0 (A), 0-4 Romania (H), 2-0 Norway (A), 1-0 Romania (A), 0-4 Sweden (H), 1-0 Faroe Islands (A)
It has been a rather predictable slog for Malta (6th – W1 D0 L7, GF2 GA18), who are easily the weakest team in this section according to the latest FIFA Rankings (186). Which is a shame because their qualifying campaign initially begun on positive terms with a 2-1 home win versus Faroe Islands. That game would mark the start of a miserable seven game sequence, though, that has seen them struggle to register another point nor even muster a goal ever since.
Last month’s 1-0 loss away to the Faroe Islands was the closest the Maltese have come to another positive result. Ultimately it was a seventh straight loss for coach Ray Farrugia to mull over. Against the better sides in this group meanwhile, sixteen goals were shipped across six contests with Norway, Romania and Spain, losing 2-0 at home to the latter in what was a one-sided affair (their two goals attempts were dwarfed by the 23 carved out by their opponents).
On the basis of how the reverse encounter panned out, this could be an extremely long and rough ninety minute ride. No win in their previous thirteen attempts as a visiting side (D2 L11) suggests a shock is improbable at best. However, only Sweden (3-0) would beat them comfortably on their travels, losing by more respectable margins at Faroe Islands (1-0), Norway (2-0) and Romania (1-0). This does suggest that Malta’s defence might provide some frustration especially for those banking on a huge scoreline.
Spain V Malta Key Facts:
- Spain won their first six Euro 2020 qualifying games but have since drawn successive matches, nevertheless qualifying with two matches remaining.
- Malta are bottom of the group after losing seven consecutive qualifiers since a 2-1 success at home against Faroe Islands.
- Unsurprisingly, Spain have won 100% of previous meetings with Malta – a 2-0 scoreline in Malta back in March a seventh successive head-to-head win for La Roja.
Betting Summary
Qualification is already guaranteed for Spain. Their final two qualifiers now matter little in the grand scheme of things, so will that mean a reduction in application from the three-time European champions? That is impossible to know, sadly, but the temptation to experiment with personnel must be strong for coach Robert Moreno, who will stress the importance of winning this match as La Roja seek to finish the group unbeaten (W6 D2 so far).
Since registering a rare win first time out at home to Faroe Islands (2-1) it has been all downhill for Malta, who are bottom of the group on account of them losing their last seven qualifiers – all of which were without them scoring a single goal. The flip side, though, will be that they haven’t conceded all that often away from home (less than two on average) and did restrict the Spanish to only a 2-0 scoreline in their earlier duel.
Spain should be winning this with the minimal amount of fuss, and that should be the case regardless of how many changes to the first-team there may be. Malta, though, have conceded two goals or fewer in three of four away qualifiers. A trip to Spain is tougher than any other, of course, however the visitors are worth chancing with a head start.
