Former champions Spain, Italy meet in World Cup qualifying

Germany’s team manager Oliver Bierhoff holds the lot of Germany…

Spain – seeking to make amends for a group-stage exit in Brazil – have met Italy regularly in recent years, the former winning the Euro 2012 final between the two nations.

Spain and Italy were placed Saturday in the same 2018 World Cup qualifying round-robin group, which also includes Albania, Israel, Macedonia and Liechtenstein.

The nine group winners qualify automatically for the finals while the eight best runners-up will go into a playoff round of four two-legged home-and-away ties with the four winners going through.

France and the Netherlands will do battle in Group A, with Sweden, Bulgaria, Belarus, Luxembourg.

Defending World Cup champion Germany and the Czech Republic are the favorites in Group C, while Wales, Austria and Serbia were inserted in Group D, Romania, Denmark and Poland in Group E, England and Slovakia in Group F, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Greece in Group H, and Croatia, Iceland, Ukraine and Turkey in Group I. “We can be satisfied about that”.

For the first time in a World Cup qualifying draw, England and Scotland were paired together.

Spain have learned their path to redemption following their disastrous 2014 World Cup collapse and as their begin their 11th consecutive World Cup qualifying campaign, they have been drawn into a group that poses no real threat other than Italy, giving them an incredible opportunity to start the 2018 World Cup with the right foot forward.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal shouldn’t be too concerned about Group B, which also features Switzerland, Hungary, the Faeroe Islands, Latvia, and Andorra.

Hosts Russian Federation will qualify automatically.

The continent’s representatives in the intercontinental play-offs will play South American opposition, while CONCACAF will take on the Asian Football Confederation in the other fixture.