The World Cup is well and truly on the way, and despite hurtling towards an unfortunate record for most scoreless draws, I believe one team will provide a silver lining in this tournament. I predict the Spanish National Team will break the standing record for most goals in a single World Cup.
Welcome back to Far-Fetched Friday, where every Friday we give you a bold prediction that we believe will come to fruition. This Friday, we look at one of the youngest teams at the World Cup.
I know what you're thinking; it is not particularly far-fetched to think a team that won their first game 7-0 will break the scoring record. I respond by giving you the context of one of the more impossible records in soccer.
The current record stands at the 27 goals Hungary scored in the 1954 World Cup. And the closest any country has come in the last 60 years is the 19 Brazil scored in the 1970 World Cup. Meaning even in best case scenario, if Spain plays the six extra games it takes to get to the final, they would still need to score more than three goals a game to get the record.
So, with all that considered, why am I so bullish this team will set the record? Expected goals. That game against Costa Rica showed us Spain is a well-tuned team that plays in a way that will generate plenty of goal-scoring opportunities. Long gone are the days the attack lacked a cutting edge as Spain dominated possession but not the scoresheet. This Spain team is a well-oiled machine that can and will score goals for fun.
They play a German team next that is desperate to win, so there'll be goals in an open game. Then they play a Japan that likes to high-press and make teams uncomfortable, which bodes well for a Spain team wanting to dominate possession and exploit defensive lapses.
It'll take 21 more goals to beat the record, but if anyone can do it, it's this iteration of the Spanish national team.
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