Spain take on Denmark in the Nations League but will be without various players who were key to their success at Euro 2024. We take a look at how that will affect their approach to this match and who will start for La Roja in Murcia on Saturday night.
Spain Predicted Lineup Against Denmark – Rodri And Carvajal Among Absentees
How Spain Have Lined Up Post Euro 2024
Following their historic fourth European Championships win in the summer, Spain have settled their way into the new Nations League campaign with a draw and a win. Luis de la Fuente’s side drew a non-event 0-0 away in Serbia before resoundingly sweeping aside Switzerland 4-1 in Geneva.
Without injured captain Álvaro Morata, they opted for a combination of Joselu, Ayoze Pérez and Mikel Oyarzabal to lead the line, feeding off the services of Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams on the wings.
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The midfield was freshly rotated with an even amount of minutes for the likes of Martín Zubimendi, Fabián Ruíz, Pedri and co. The defence featured the tried and trusted back four of the summer along with Álex Grimaldo appearing more than he did at the Euros.
Spain Injuries To Consider
The running theme of the opening nine rounds of La Liga matches has been major injuries to key players. The demanding summer looks to be taking its toll on the men responsible for delivering Spain with its sixth international trophy.
Most notably Manchester City’s Rodri Hernández and Real Madrid’s Dani Carvajal have suffered season-ending knee tears whilst FC Barcelona’s Dani Olmo is also out with a hamstring problem.
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Even more seriously, Atlético Madrid’s Robin Le Normand was involved in a clash of heads in the Madrid derby which has left him with a brain injury. His club have said they are taking no risks and giving him all the time he needs to recover from this terrible accident.
Another of the summer starters, Unai Simón, hasn’t played a minute of football since the Euros. The squad’s first-choice goalkeeper underwent surgery on his wrist shortly after the tournament ended. He remains sidelined until at least Christmas.
More recently, the man who opened the scoring in the Euro 2024 final against England has also had to pull out of the squad. Nico Williams joins Ferran Torres and Bryan Gil as players who have had to pull out since the original 25-man list was announced.
Spain Player’s Recent Form And Tactics
Those called up to replace the absentees include CD Osasuna’s Bryan Zaragoza who is on loan from Bayern Munich. His call-up comes off the back of a stunning performance against Barcelona, much like it did when he made his Spain debut last season.
Coming in to replace Nico Williams is the Olympic gold medalist, Sergio Gomez – formerly of Manchester City. The left-footer can play anywhere down the left-hand side of the pitch and has been one of Real Sociedad’s few positives so far this season.
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In Carvajal’s absence and Jesus Navas having retired from international duty, we can expect to see RC Celta Vigo’s Óscar Mingueza and Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro share the minutes at right-back.
If De La Fuente is to play his expected 4-2-3-1 formation then we will likely see the same double pivot that he played in the second half of the Euros final. It was Rodri himself who came off in that one but Zubimendi stepped up to produce a masterclass of control in the 45 minutes he played alongside Fabián Ruíz. Álex Baena will no doubt feature in a more advanced role at some point, even from the off.
Spain Predicted Lineup Vs Denmark
GK: David Raya
RB: Óscar Mingueza
CB: Pau Cubarsí
CB: Aymeric Laporte
LB: Álex Grimaldo
CM: Martín Zubimendi
CM: Fabián Ruíz
CM: Álex Baena
RW: Lamine Yamal
ST: Álvaro Morata
LW: Bryan Zaragoza
