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Spain forward Oyarzabal shrugs off soreness, wants Lamine to cause more chaos

RE

Reuters

Published 2 hours ago

Spain forward Mikel Oyarzabal has a sore body, a cool ⁠head and no appetite for a rest as his side prepare to face Uruguay banking on the ‌mayhem teammate Lamine Yamal can cause at the World Cup.

[p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/oyarzabal-mikel/dQ1P695O/"]Oyarzabal[/a], who ‌impressed with two goals and an assist for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/lamine-yamal/lAt3vEub/"]‌Lamine[/a] in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/spain/bLyo6mco/"]Spain[/a]'s 4-0 win over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/saudi-arabia/biSY8ox4/"]Saudi Arabia[/a] on Sunday, ‌spoke to the media, three days before [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/spain-bLyo6mco/uruguay-xMk44orG/?mid=8xM154oS"]their Group ‌H decider[/a] against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/uruguay/xMk44orG/"]Uruguay[/a] and said the discomfort he felt after the game was not enough to make him consider sitting ‌out.[/p][p]"[b]I'm fine, though a bit sore[/b]," ⁠Oyarzabal told a press ‌conference on Tuesday. "[b]But everyone has a niggle or two when they're ​in a tournament like this. I'm calm, I'm fine[/b]."[/p][p]There had been a brief moment of concern, ​he admitted, but the forward said the alarm had passed.[/p][p]Asked if he might be rested against Uruguay, Oyarzabal ⁠added: "[b]As far as ​I'm concerned, I want to play; I'm feeling fine[/b]."[/p][p]Oyarzabal expects Uruguay to bring grit and a competitive edge, traits he described as typical of South American sides.[/p][image alt="Win probability" id="02a1bb07-4b84-423b-a771-3efb0e50f6e0" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="c1ab9667-4d28-49c3-8d07-c9db95f6fabe" original-width="1080" original-height="1080" /][p]He said Spain ‌had to concentrate on their own work rather than become distracted by permutations, although he conceded the draw was impossible to ignore completely.[/p][p]Spain will reach the Round of 32 as group winners if they beat Uruguay, while a draw should also be enough to qualify.[/p][p]Oyarzabal was also asked about Lamine, whose influence in the Saudi Arabia win added another layer of excitement around ‌the Spaniards. The forward did not dress up his ​answer.[/p][p]"[b]He's one of the players who makes the biggest ‌difference in the world right now[/b]," Oyarzabal said. "[b]The chaos he creates for the opposition works in our favour[/b]."[/p][p]Spain are top of Group H on four points, two ahead of Uruguay and surprise package [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/cape-verde/MocyWdm7/"]Cape ⁠Verde[/a], who face a ⁠Saudi Arabia side in ‌last place on one point.[/p][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]

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