Spain World Cup 2022 preview - prediction, fixtures, squad, star player

It is now 12 years since La Roja lifted their first World Cup, with the team triumphing in South Africa, beating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final of the competition in Johannesburg.

La Roja are not viewed among the top two or three favourites for the tournament in Qatar, but there is no question that they have the squad capable of making a big impression.

Luis Enrique has decided to leave Sergio Ramos out of his squad, while there have been some big calls elsewhere, with the head coach keen to take the team in a new direction.

Anything less than the quarter-finals would have to go down as another poor tournament for Spain, and it will be fascinating to see how this supremely-talented squad performs over the next few weeks.

Here, Sports Mole previews Spain's chances at the 2022 tournament.

GROUP

Spain will take on Costa Rica, Germany and Japan in Group E, and it would be a shock if they failed to progress through the group stage of the competition.

La Roja will open their campaign against Costa Rica on November 23, and a positive result in their first match would lead them nicely into the mouth-watering contest with Germany on November 27.

Spain will then end their group-stage campaign against Japan on December 1, and it does appear that it will be a battle between Enrique's side and Germany for first position in this particular section.

FIXTURES

November 23: Spain vs. Costa Rica (4pm, A Thumama Stadium, Doha)

November 27: Spain vs. Germany (7pm, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)

December 1: Japan vs. Spain (7pm, Khalifa International Stadium, Al Rayyan)

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

Spain's qualification for the 2022 World Cup was relatively straightforward, with the national side picking up 19 points from their eight Group B fixtures to finish top, four points clear of second-place Sweden.

Enrique's side won six, drew one and lost one of their eight games, scoring 15 times and conceding five times in the process, and they ended their qualification campaign with four straight wins over Georgia, Kosovo, Greece and Sweden.

Spain were beaten by Sweden in September 2021, which was a huge result at the time, but they responded impressively to the setback, with their only other dropped points coming at home to Greece last March.

La Roja only had to play eight times during qualification, which is two fewer than during their qualification campaign for the tournament in 2018.

Aside from the 4-0 victory over Georgia last September, there were not too many convincing wins in terms of the scoreline, but they only conceded five times, and it will be interesting to see how the team perform defensively at the competition, especially with Ramos being left out.

RECENT FORM

Spain have a pre-tournament friendly to come against Jordan on November 17, which will represent their final match before the competitive action gets underway in Qatar.

La Roja have not played a friendly since March, when they recorded a 5-0 victory over Iceland, and the national side have won their last three non-competitive games.

Each of Spain's last six matches have been in the UEFA Nations League, including two in September, losing 2-1 to Switzerland before recording a 1-0 victory over Portugal.

Enrique's side finished top of their section, one point clear of Portugal, which has seen them qualify for the semi-finals alongside Croatia, Italy and the Netherlands.

Spain's last 10 matches in all competitions, ahead of the game with Jordan, have seen them win seven times, draw twice and lose just once, so they will be entering the tournament in strong form.

SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Unai Simon (Athletic Bilbao), Robert Sanchez (Brighton), David Raya (Brentford)

Defenders: Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Eric Garcia (Barcelona), Hugo Guillamon (Valencia), Pau Torres (Villarreal), Aymeric Laporte (Manchester City), Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Jose Gaya (Valencia)

Midfielders: Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri Hernandez (Manchester City), Gavi (Barcelona), Carlos Soler (Paris Saint-Germain), Marcos Llorente (Atletico Madrid), Pedri (Barcelona), Koke (Atletico Madrid)

Forwards: Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Nico Williams (Athletic Bilbao), Yeremi Pino (Villarreal), Alvaro Morata (Atletico Madrid), Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Pablo Sarabia (Paris Saint-Germain), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Ansu Fati (Barcelona)

STAR PLAYER - SERGIO BUSQUETS

At 34 years old, Sergio Busquets might be preparing to play in his last World Cup, but Enrique said during his squad unveiling that he believes the midfielder could also feature in the 2026 competition.

"My goal is to convince Busquets to play in another World Cup. I am not joking, I don't see a better pivot in the world than Busi for our system," said the head coach.

The likes of Pedri and Gavi are expected to play important roles during the competition, but Busquets is expected to be the glue that holds the team together.

Morata is the leading goalscorer in the squad with 27, but it is difficult to select him as the star man, while there is not an outstanding candidate for the role at the back.

Busquets has not always been at his best for Barcelona this season, especially in the Champions League, but he remains a monster of a figure for Spain, and he will be bidding to add to the 139 caps that he has earned during an astonishing career at the top level.

MANAGER - LUIS ENRIQUE

Enrique will be one of the most recognisable managers at the 2022 World Cup, with the 52-year-old enjoying a brilliant playing career, representing both Real Madrid and Barcelona, before managing the latter between 2014 and 2017, winning a host of trophies in the process.

He first took the Spain job in 2018 before resigning in June 2019 due to personal reasons; following a five-month absence, the head coach was reappointed in November 2019, and he has now been in charge of 42 games for the national side, boasting a record of 24 wins, 12 draws and six defeats.

Enrique has certainly not been afraid to make big decisions during his time in charge of the national team, including in his squad selection for this tournament, with Ramos and Thiago Alcantara among those left out.

Yeremi Pino, Ansu Fati and Nico Williams were named in the selection, though, and there is a real mixture of youth and experience in the squad.

Enrique's vast experience as a player as well as a manager should stand him in good stead entering the competition, and he will be determined to improve on what has been a couple of disappointing World Cup finals for the 2010 world champions.

WORLD CUP RECORD

Best finish: Winners (2010)

Spain famously won the World Cup back in 2010, and it was an extraordinary period in their history, having also enjoyed European Championship success in 2008 and 2012.

La Roja were fourth at the 1950 World Cup, but they had been unable to progress past the quarter-final stage in the years that followed before lifting the trophy in South Africa.

Spain topped Group H with a record of two wins and one defeat, with their loss coming against Switzerland in their first match in the section.

The European nation recorded a 1-0 victory over Portugal in the round of 16 before beating Paraguay by the same scoreline in the final eight.

There was another 1-0 success for Spain in the semi-finals, this time overcoming Germany, before Andres Iniesta scored a 116th-minute winner in the final against the Netherlands.

Spain went through the knockout round of the 2010 competition without conceding a single goal, and they might need to be near-perfect defensively in Qatar to make themselves serious contenders for the crown.

PREDICTION

We are expecting Spain to finish second to Germany in Group E, which might see them face Belgium in the last-16 stage of the competition.

La Roja could navigate their way past a talented Belgium before potentially beating Portugal in the quarter-finals, but their tournament might be ended by the reigning champions France in the final four.

VERDICT: Semi-finals