I stopped by the Pérez Art Museum Miami yesterday and stood before a Wilfredo Lam canvas — all fractured forms reaching for the light — and I thought, yes, that is Pedri in midfield, breaking apart defensive shapes until something beautiful emerges. Spain's midfield will simply suffocate Saudi Arabia with their relentless circulation, and David Raya will spend most of the afternoon as a spectator with nothing but the Florida sunshine for company. Salem Al-Dawsari is a gifted soul, but when you attack only twice in ninety minutes, even the most poetic individual cannot write a story.

Spain's midfield engine is simply running at a different RPM to anything Saudi Arabia can match here — Rodri orchestrating from deep turns this into a possession masterclass, and Al-Tambakti's sweeper role will be tested repeatedly as Nico Williams burns down the flanks with pace Saudi Arabia's backline simply cannot handle. The Green Falcons' defensive organisation is admirable — genuinely compact in their own half — but with only two meaningful attacking forays, they are essentially playing for damage limitation from kickoff. I tried baking a pastelito de guayaba down in Miami last week, and much like Saudi Arabia's chances tonight, my pastry held its shape for a while before the heat became too much.