As Spain prepares to face Georgia in the Euro 2024 round of 16 on Sunday, memories will undoubtedly drift to the 7-1 thrashing it dished out to the same opponents last year in a match that helped the team gel at a time of turmoil for Spanish football.
On the eve of its Euro 2024 qualifier in Tbilisi, as Spain was licking their wounds from a 2-0 defeat by Scotland, manager Luis de la Fuente was batting away questions about the scandal surrounding then football federation boss Luis Rubiales.
Spain was 4-0 up at halftime against the stunned Georgians, with 16-year-old Lamine Yamal coming off the bench to seal a 7-1 win and become Spain’s youngest-ever international and goalscorer.
Georgia has won the hearts of fans with a series of never-say-die performances in the group stage that included a stunning win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal on Wednesday.
It now faces a huge test in Cologne, however, and must find a way to deal with Spain’s suffocating pressure and relentless pace, with Nico Williams and Yamal darting up the wings.
READ FULL PREVIEW | Spain still going strong since Tbilisi turnaround, Georgia eyes another shock
SPAIN VS GEORGIA PREDICTED LINEUPS
Spain predicted XI (4-3-3): Unai Simón; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella, Pedri, Rodri, Fabián Ruiz, Yamal, Morata, Williams
Georgia predicted XI (5-3-2): Mamardashvili, Tsitaishvili, Dvali, Kashia, Kverkvelia, Kakabadze, Kochorashvili, Kiteishvili, Chakvetadze, Kvaratskhelia, Mikautadze
