Spain vs Sweden: Who Will Win Group B?

The World Cup qualifiers are set to come to an end across Europe in the next few weeks as we move one step closer to determining who will feature in Qatar next year. There are plenty of nations who are still in with a great chance, and two of them reside in Group B – Spain and Sweden.

These two locked horns last summer to open up their respective Euro 2020 campaigns, ending in a 0-0 draw between the pair. Now, they’re both looking at the next couple of games as a real opportunity to book their ticket to the big show.

Spain

The Spaniards are actually going to be the ones chasing qualification as opposed to being the ones dictating the pace. They reside two points behind Sweden in the Group B table and if they’re serious about avoiding the dreaded playoffs, they need to get their act together. It’s all well and good to thrive in the Nations League but if you don’t win it at the end, it doesn’t mean a whole lot.

Their next test comes against Greece tomorrow night. If they beat the Greeks, who have only lost once in qualifying, they’ll pile the pressure onto the shoulders of the Swedes.

Sweden

Sweden aren’t exactly going to be relaxing here but they know that a win and a draw would be enough to get them over the finish line here. They take on Georgia in tomorrow’s game which, by all accounts, they should win. If Spain drop points against Greece then the Swedes will already be through automatically but either way, they have to be feeling confident about how this squad is panning out.

Then, of course, on Sunday, we’ll get the big one – Spain vs Sweden. The pressure will be on for Sweden to hold them off but before we get to all of that, Greece and Georgia need to be dealt with.

Prediction

As much as we’ve enjoyed the exploits of Sweden in qualifying, we think it’s all going to catch up with them in the next few games. We do believe they’ll just about manage to edge past Georgia, but we’d be surprised if Spain don’t lay a real beating down on Greece. In doing so, they’ll set up a “winner take all” showdown on Sunday.

Our prediction is that Spain win a thrilling fixture 2-1, ensuring they will be the ones who can start preparations for Qatar.