1 month ago
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Who: Spain vs Turkiye
What: UEFA World Cup qualifier, Group E
Where: La Cartuja Stadium successful Seville, Spain
When: Tuesday astatine 8:45pm (19:45 GMT)
Click here to travel our unrecorded coverage.
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Unbeaten Spain (5-0-0) is guaranteed nonstop qualification into the FIFA World Cup 2026 if they bushed Turkiye successful their past Group E fixture connected Tuesday successful Seville.
Armed with a three-point pb – and a immense extremity quality – Luis de la Fuente’s broadside are successful a highly advantageous presumption to clinch a 13th consecutive quality astatine football’s planetary showpiece.
Turkiye (4-0-1), for their part, inactive person a mathematical accidental to bargain the apical spot from Spain successful their Matchday 10 finale – but they volition request to rainfall down a plethora of goals connected the reigning European champions to debar the runners-up spot.
Here is each to cognize astir their Group E instrumentality clash:
Current Group E standings (one fixture remaining):
- Spain – 15 points (from 5 matches)
- Turkiye – 12 points (from 5 matches)
- Georgia – 3 points (from 5 matches)
- Bulgaria – 0 points (from 5 matches)
How tin Spain suffice for the World Cup?
Spain presently sits astatine the apical of their Group E with 5 wins retired of 5 fixtures and person a cleanable grounds with 15 points.
Scenario 1:
A gully oregon a triumph successful their last lucifer against Turkiye would seal their spot astatine the 2026 World Cup with an insurmountable pb successful the group.
Scenario 2:
A nonaccomplishment to Turkiye would mean some teams reason the qualification play with 15 points from six matches – but with Spain having a vastly superior extremity difference.
To decorativeness archetypal successful Group E, Turkiye would person to propulsion disconnected a stunning seven-goal triumph distant to Spain to pip La Roja for automatic World Cup qualification.
How tin Turkiye suffice for the World Cup?
Turkiye beryllium successful 2nd presumption successful Group E with 12 points – 9 points wide of next-best Georgia.
Unless they tin decision Spain by 7 goals, Turkiye volition participate the UEFA playoff contention successful March arsenic the radical runners-up.
Turkiye past took portion successful the World Cup finals successful 2002, finishing a astonishment 3rd spot successful the tourney that was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea.
Spain’s Mikel Merino celebrates scoring his side’s 5th extremity against Turkiye successful their UEFA World Cup Qualifier Group E fixture astatine Konya Buyuksehir Arena, Konya, Turkiye connected September 7, 2025 [Murad Sezer/Reuters]What happened the past clip Spain and Turkiye played?
Mikel Merino’s hat-trick helped Spain thrash hosts Turkiye 6-0 successful their past World Cup qualifier connected September 7.
The location broadside had nary reply to Spain’s dominance, undone clip and again by the visitors’ velocity and finesse, with a helpless Turkish defence torn isolated connected each counterattack.
That nonaccomplishment remains Turkiye’s lone decision successful Group E.
Will Lamine Yamal play for Spain?
Barcelona prima guardant Lamine Yamal volition miss Spain’s last World Cup qualifier against Turkiye arsenic helium continues to negociate an ongoing groin issue.
Yamal, 18, underwent a tiny process successful Barcelona connected November 10 to effort and hole the problem. Doctors estimation his betterment clip from the country astatine 7-10 days.
Star guardant Lamine Yamal is 1 of respective cardinal players missing from Spain’s last Group E fixture against Turkiye connected Tuesday [File: Murad Sezer/Reuters]Head-to-head
Spain has ne'er mislaid to Turkiye successful the six planetary fixtures they person played since 2005.
- Spain – won 5
- Turkiye – won 0
- Draws – 1
Form Guide:
Spain: W-W-W-W-W (UEFA World Cup qualifiers, astir caller effect last)
Turkiye: W-L-W-W-W (UEFA World Cup qualifiers, astir caller effect last)
Spain squad news
In summation to Yamal’s unavailability, Spain heads into the Turkiye fixture without different cardinal players Dani Carvajal, Pedri and Rodri.
Dean Huijsen is besides questionable with a groin contented and is apt to beryllium a game-time determination for De la Fuente.
Mikel Oyarzabal, who has scored 8 goals successful his past 8 planetary appearances, volition again beryllium the No 1 prime to pb the enactment for Spain connected Tuesday.
Turkiye squad news
The Turkish Football Federation has officially ruled retired Inter Milan midfield prima Hakan Calhanoglu against Spain aft helium picked up a wrist wounded during the erstwhile planetary lucifer against Bulgaria connected Saturday.
Calhanoglu, who is the apical goalscorer successful Italy’s top-flight Serie A this season, volition apt beryllium replaced successful an attacking midfield presumption by Isak Vural, who has been brought into the squad.
Head manager Vincenzo Montella volition astir surely beryllium without Galatasaray defender Kaan Ayhan, who is highly questionable aft helium was substituted connected Saturday with a groin injury.
Midfielder Ismail Yuksek volition service a one-match prohibition aft picking up a 2nd yellowish paper successful the qualifying run against Bulgaria.
Hakan Calhanoglu’s omission from the Turkiye broadside to play Spain makes their monumental task of outscoring the European champions by 7 goals each the much hard [Umit Bektas/Reuters]Predicted starting lineups:
Spain: Simon (goalkeeper); Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Merino, Zubimendi, Ruiz; Torres, Oyarzabal, Baena
Turkiye: Cakir (goalkeeper); Celik, Demiral, Bardakci, Kadioglu; Vural, Kocu; Aydin, Guler, Yildiz; Akturkoglu
What the coaches had to say:
De la Fuente:
The Spain caput manager is not taking his team’s unbeaten Group E tally for granted earlier Tuesday’s fixture with Turkiye.
“Our purpose is to suffice for the [FIFA] World Cup,” helium said.
“Regardless of the results successful this phase, we privation to triumph to unafraid our spot successful the qualifiers, and that means fighting, moving hard and doing things close to springiness ourselves the champion accidental of winning.
“It’s precise hard to triumph and we privation to proceed connected our path, but 1 crippled astatine a clip and 1 time astatine a time,” De la Fuente said.
“Every present and past it’s bully to support our feet connected the ground. What this squad is doing is precise difficult, but we privation to support improving.”
Montella:
The Turkiye caput manager has deployed a beardown tactical crippled program against Spain, but concedes his side’s chances of overtaking the European champions successful the points array are slim.
“It [the fixture] won’t person overmuch effect connected the points table, but it’s important for america nonetheless,” helium said. “I judge successful my players.”
When and wherever is the FIFA World Cup 2026?
The tourney is being staged crossed the United States, Canada and Mexico. The archetypal lucifer volition beryllium played successful Mexico City connected June 11, portion the last volition beryllium staged successful New Jersey, US, connected July 19.
Due to the enlargement of the tourney – from 32 teams to 48 – the 39-day lawsuit is the longest successful its history.
The MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford, New Jersey, US, volition signifier the FIFA World Cup 2026 last connected July 19 [File: Kena Betancur/VIEWpress via Getty Images]
English (US) ·