Spain recorded a 2-1 victory over Albania in Saturday’s friendly at RCDE Stadium, with Dani Olmo coming off the bench to register the winning goal in the 90th minute, and La Roja will now be bidding to make it four straight successes in all competitions when they host Iceland.
Luis Enrique’s side are building towards the start of their UEFA Nations League campaign, which begins against Portugal at the start of June, but the national team will also already be thinking about the 2022 World Cup.
Spain comfortably secured their spot at this year’s competition by finishing top of Group B, collecting 19 points from eight matches, and they will be looking to make an impression at the tournament for the first time since winning it in 2010, having been knocked out in the group stage in 2014 and round of 16 in 2018.
La Roja reached the semi-finals of Euro 2020, and a hugely talented crop of youngsters are starting to emerge, suggesting that the future is bright for the national team.
Enrique will view Tuesday’s friendly with Iceland as another valuable exercise in terms of preparation, with a number of players looking to make a positive impression to cement their spots in the squad for the World Cup.
Iceland, meanwhile, played out a 1-1 draw with Finland on Saturday, with Birkir Bjarnason on the scoresheet in the 38th minute after Teemu Pukki had opened the scoring for Finland.
Arnar Vidarsson’s side are winless in their last five matches in all competitions, with their last success coming at home to Liechtenstein back in October; since then, they have drawn three and lost two of their five games, three of which have been friendlies against Uganda, Korea Republic and Finland.
Links >> Stream 1 HD Stream 2 HD Stream 3 HD
Iceland will not be present at the 2022 World Cup, having finished fifth in Group J, collecting just nine points from their 10 matches during a disappointing campaign.
The national team famously played at the 2018 World Cup, being eliminated in the group stage, while they also reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 before failing to qualify for last summer’s European Championship.
Iceland will currently be looking ahead to their UEFA Nations League campaign, which starts against Israel at the start of June, and a positive result in this match would certainly boost confidence
