Spain vs Northern Ireland

Estadi Mallorca Son Moix is the venue as Spain and Northern Ireland go head-to-head in a lopsided European friendly.

After a brace of winless outings in March (D1, L1), including a 1-0 friendly loss to Colombia, Spain returned to winning ways with an overwhelming 5-0 victory over Iberian minnows Andorra in midweek. Manager Luis de la Fuente, who recently penned a contract extension until 2026, witnessed stellar debuts from Ayoze Perez and Fermin Lopez, with the duo bidding to travel with the squad to Euro 2024. ‘La Furia Roja’ will be keen to close their tournament preparations in style, buoyed by an impressive run of 11 unbeaten friendlies on home turf (W7, D4) stretching back to June 2016. Adding to the Spaniards’ confidence, they’ve won three out of five meetings with Northern Ireland in the 21st century (D1, L1), with their most recent H2H dating back to 2007.

Though it’s been a while since Northern Ireland last played against Spain, their underwhelming record of failing to score in four of their five H2Hs this millennium corresponds to the visitors’ lackluster attacking. They have drawn a blank in six of their last 11 internationals, casting doubt on their faint hopes of staging an upset in Mallorca. Despite dispatching Scotland 1-0 in their most recent friendly to end a five-game winless run on foreign soil (D1, L4), Norther Ireland’s chances of posting their first triumph against Spain since 1982 remain thin. They can at least draw confidence from stringing together three consecutive matches unbeaten (W2, D1) for the first time since Michael O’Neill was reappointed as manager.