MADRID, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- Spain can take a big step on the way to qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a win away to Türkiye on Sunday night.

La Roja opened its qualifying campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win away to Bulgaria on Thursday, with Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino all on the scoresheet before halftime, but Türkiye promises to be a tougher test.

Instead of in Istanbul, the game will be played at the Konya Metropolitan Municipality Stadium, where the fans are known for the hostile atmosphere they give to visiting teams.

"They don't know the incredible atmosphere in Konya," Real Madrid's Turkish international Arda Guler was quoted as saying by Spanish sports paper Marca.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente is unlikely to make many changes to the team that cruised to victory in Bulgaria. Although he will be delighted to see Rodri return to international football after a serious knee injury, it seems unlikely that he will drop either Pedri or Martin Zubimendi from his starting 11.

If De la Fuente opts for Rodri, Merino could be in danger of dropping to the bench, but that would rob Spain of its ability to time attacking runs forward.

The coach's main worry is Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal, who was taken off as a precaution 11 minutes from time on Thursday with a slight back pain.

Yamal has played an immense amount of football over the past 12 months and has an equally draining season ahead of him, but the 18-year-old is so important for club and country that De la Fuente will not want to lose him for the toughest match of the qualifying campaign. ■