Spain vs Sweden Tips: 20/1 double and odds for vital World Cup qualifier

Following their 1-0 victory in Athens in midweek, avoiding defeat will be enough to secure top spot for the Spaniards as they host Sweden on Sunday evening.

The visitors slipped to second spot in World Cup Qualification Group B after they were beaten 2-0 by Georgia, a side ranked 68 places below them according to FIFA. Janne Andersson went full strength in Batumi but is expected to shuffle his deck here with Dejan Kulusevski pushing for a start and Albin Ekdal returning from suspension.

Luis Enrique lost Ansu Fati, Yeremi Pino and Eric Garcia to injury ahead of the game against Greece with the trio withdrawing from the Spain squad. Gavi was forced off vs Greece following a blow to the face but Spain’s supremo insists he is okay to play here and should continue in a midfield trio alongside Sergio Busquets and Koke.

As for the Spain v Sweden odds wise, the hosts are the clear favourites to get the job done, priced at 9/25 with Bet365 to win, however, Spain have only won 40% of their games when priced accordingly so it might be worth getting against them in some capacity. 

Given the importance of this fixture for both sides, there could be a bit of needle here which is why cards have taken my fancy, despite the fact that Felix Brych has the whistle at the Estadio de La Cartuja.

The German official does not have the most enthralling record for cards. This season he has averaged 3.52 cards per game, though it is worth noting that he has overseen three competitive international fixtures and these have yielded 16Y and 1R cards.

Kristoffer Olsson price of 5/2 appeals. For his nation, he has picked up seven cards in 28 appearances. He has picked up one card this WCQ campaign and will be tasked with containing Busquets and Gavi. Those two do not share the ball so he and Ekdal will be spending their evening chasing shadows and I suspect their patience will wear thin. I’ll be having two points on this selection.

Sticking with cards, Gavi’s price of 9/2 seems a touch long. The youngster has already picked up three cards domestically for Barcelona and two in the Champions League giving him a cards per 90 average of 0.56! He is yet to pick up a card in WCQ, or in any game for Spain, but in the 65 minutes he completed vs Greece he attempted three tackles and committed two fouls.

Gavi did not feature when these sides last met but Busquets was carded. Interestingly, at least one of the opposition's central midfielders have been booked in 71% of Sweden’s WCQ with both of Kosovo’s central midfielders booked in both of their games vs the Yellow and Blue. I will be having two points on this selection.

You can combine these two selections at 20/1 with Bet365 if you fancy something a bit longer. I think it is worth noting that there were four cards in the reverse and though Olsson did not receive one, he did commit more fouls then any other player on the pitch (4). I would advise half a point on this.

Best of luck if you are backing any of these bets and please remember to gamble responsibly.