Spain face Saudi Arabia with Group H wide open
Spain will look to get their World Cup campaign up and running when they face Saudi Arabia in Group H on Sunday.
Luis de la Fuente's side were held to a goalless draw by Cape Verde in their opening match, producing a performance that fell short of the standards expected from one of the tournament favourites.
The result prompted criticism in Spain, but De la Fuente remained defiant ahead of the meeting with Saudi Arabia.
"There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow," he said.
La Roja struggled to create clear-cut opportunities for long periods and were unable to find a breakthrough despite dominating possession.
The result left all four teams level on one point after the opening round of fixtures, making Sunday's encounter all the more important.
Spain know a victory would put them in a strong position, while another stumble could leave qualification hanging in the balance heading into the final round of matches.
Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Uruguay.
Abdulelah Al Amri's first-half goal looked set to secure all three points before Maxi Araujo rescued a draw for the South Americans late on.
Having pushed Uruguay all the way in their opener, Saudi Arabia will travel to Philadelphia believing they can take something from Sunday's contest.
The sides have met once before at a World Cup, with Spain recording a 1-0 victory during the group stage of the 2006 tournament.
Saudi Arabia are still searching for a first victory over La Roja, having lost all three previous encounters.
Lamine Yamal is expected to return to Spain's starting lineup after making his comeback from injury against Cape Verde, while Nico Williams could also be recalled as De la Fuente considers changes to his attack.
Saudi Arabia have no major injury concerns following their draw with Uruguay and are expected to retain the core of the side that impressed in their opening fixture.
Spain predicted lineup:
Simon; Llorente, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Ruiz, Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Oyarzabal, N Williams
Saudi Arabia predicted lineup:
Al-Owais; Abdulhamid, Al Tambakti, Al Amri, Al Harbi; Al Shamat, Al-Khaibari, Kanno, S Al-Dawsari; Al Buraikan, Al-Juwayr




































