Spain vs Russia LIVE World Cup 2018: Hosts knock Spanish out in penalty shootout as Igor Akinfeev saves Koke and Iago Aspas efforts
It’s not been smooth sailing for Spain in the competition so far. Their 1-0 win over Iran is their only win in the tournament so far. They were all over the Iranian side all game but they struggled to find the net. Their poor defending has led to them conceding five goals in the competition so far. The Spaniards will need to fix their defensive issues ahead of Sunday’s game against the tournament hosts.
Russia opened the tournament with an explosive game against Saudi Arabia. Their dominant 5-0 win was closely followed by another strong victory over an Egyptian side that struggled massively this World Cup. Russia were served a bit of a reality check when they faced the Group A winner Uruguay in the final match of the group stage.
Their 3-0 defeat highlighted some major issues with the team. The Russian national side will be without right-back Igor Smolnikov. The 29-year-old Russian defender earned his second yellow just 36 minutes into the game after a mistimed challenge on Deigo Laxalt. Russia, who have already been experiencing defensive issues, will need to find a strong replacement for Smolnikov.
To sum that up in a word: unexpected. Russian fans told the world their team were not good enough, they feared being embarrassed, and now they have beaten Spain.
Need a break after that one? There's another game to come at 7pm, as Croatia take on Denmark. You can follow all the build up and team news here:
Spain vs Russia kicks off at 15:00 at the Luzhniki Stadium.
Where can I watch it?
Live coverage will be available on either the BBC or ITV and online via their sports website.
Odds
Spain: 4/7
Russia: 11/2
Draw: 11/4
Prediction
Spain will still be feeling the pain from their 2-2 draw against Morocco and will go into this game with it at the forefront of their minds. Russia will need to correct the weaknesses that were exposed by Uruguay in the final game of the group stage. Spain are heavily favoured to win.
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