One eye in Pristina and another in Athens

Soccer is played with a ball, but Spain he must do it tonight with two. La Roja will have one eye on Pristina and another on Athens, because in those 500 kilometers that separate both capitals a good part of their future is decided in the qualifying rounds towards Qatar 2022. Kosovo-Spain and Greece-Sweden, that's the menu with which this September World Cup window closes (Follow the match in Spain live on As.com). It is advisable, of course, to try to score a goal with the ball that you have at your feet rather than wait for the flute to play in the other stadium. Otherwise there is a risk that neither one nor the other …

The leadership of La Roja is fragile if we consider that it has played two more games than its great rival for the direct pass to the World cupor, Sweden. The first premise is clear: win today in Pristina. Subsequently We will have to wait for the Swedish stumble in Greece or in the October break that will allow the Nordics to catch up on games played: Janne Andersson's men will then host Kosovo and Greece, while Spain will play the Final Four of the Nations League with Italy as a semi-final rival at San Siro.

Uncomfortable. At this point, we have to put aside the cabals and assumptions and focus on what truly awaits our internationals tonight. It is an awkward match and Luis Enrique is the first to make it clear: “Kosovo is going to complicate your life, for sure.” He does not refer to the atmosphere in the stands, which some fear is rarefied due to issues that have nothing to do with football, but strictly sports.

It is true that they lost to Spain 3-1 in Seville, back in March, but it is also true that a goal from Kiss halimi complicated the final stretch of the game. Subsequently, those of Bernard Challandes have beaten Georgia (0-1) away, in what was their first victory in a qualifying round for a World Cup, and tied at home with Greece (1-1). If you look at it in profile, that selection has little to do with the last one that La Roja has had to deal with, Georgia. Kosovo is not afraid to lose his hair, the Swiss Challandes intends to impose a stamp that to some would sound more typical of teams of a higher level.

Vedat Muriqi is the beacon that illuminates the Kosovar attacks and this is not just a metaphor. The player of the Lazio, at 1.94 in height, he is a nuisance from set pieces, but above all he is the safest value that Kosovo has in the face of goal. He scored in the victory in Georgia and also signed the goal that saved a point against Greece last Sunday in the 92nd minute. Another Serie A player, captain Amir Rrahmani (Naples), will once again be the defensive benchmark after he missed the first leg due to injury. Lirim Kastrati and Besar Halimi will be out due to accumulation of cards.

In Spain, meanwhile, Laporte seems to have recovered from his discomfort, although Albiol is in the bedroom. Everything indicates that Busquets will once again be the benchmark in the center of the field, where the good feelings of Llorente and Soler against Georgia make them worthy of a place in the starting eleven. Up, if there are no shocks, Morata will return as nine with Ferran and Sarabia as squires. We are in his hands, in his boots too. We need their goals for a forced victory. Then, there will be time to see how life goes to the Swedes in Athens.