The Spanish men’s soccer coach, Luis de la Fuente, offered this Friday the list of 25 called up for next week’s matches against Georgia and Cyprus. A call in which the presence of Iñigo Martínez, Aleix García, Grimaldo, Riquelme and Remiro. A list with many new features in which the presence of five Real Sociedad players and the absences of Alejandro Balde and Aymeric Laporte.
De la Fuente has decided not to call Pedri, despite the fact that he has already recovered from the injury that has not allowed him to have regularity at this start of the season. Although he has not yet been able to summon him since he became coach, the Riojan coach has prioritized the young midfielder recovering sensations under Xavi’s command in Barça’s training sessions. Kepa Arrizabalaga’s injury, which will keep him out of action for at least two weeks, opens the doors of the national team to Remiro.
The main news
The goalkeeper thus joins the regulars Le Normand, Merino, Oyarzabal and Zubimendi to make Real Sociedad the most represented team in the call, with five members. He thus rewards the good start of the season by Imanol Alguacil’s team, as he also does with Girona by calling up Aleix Garcia and with Bayer Leverkusen when recruiting Alejandro Grimaldo. The one who continues to be left out despite the notable level that he is showing is the Betic Isco.
The other novelty is the return of Iñigo Martínez to the coach’s plans, once the Barcelona center-back has recovered from the physical problems that he had been carrying for months. In the rest of the demarcations, the coach is committed to continuity, including the attack in which Williams, Lamine, Oyarzabal and Ferran are established as their favorite extremes, apart from a Dani Olmo that he is injured and that he is a permanent fixture for the Riojan.
What is Spain at stake?
The two matches have practically no qualifying significance, since Spain left its presence in the next Euro Cup tied during the October break, in which it beat both Norway and Scotland. The team, however, has the challenge of being one of the six teams that finishes the qualifying phase with the most points, which would guarantee it being head of series ahead of next summer’s continental tournament in Germany.
However, the duels will also serve as a test bed for De la Fuente, against two rivals whom he beat during the September break. Next Thursday, November 16, he will travel to Limassol to face Cyprus and on Sunday the 19th he will receive Georgia in the Nuevo José Zorrilla in Valladolid.
Luis de la Fuente’s squad list
Goalkeepers: Unai Simón, David Raya and Álex Remiro
Defenses: Carvajal, Jesús Navas, Íñigo Martínez, Pau Torres, Le Normand, David García, Gayà, Grimaldo
Media: Rodri, Zubimendi, Gavi, Mikel Merino, Fabián, Sancet, Riquelme, Aleix García
Forwards: Morata, Joselu, Ferran Torres, Nico Williams, Lamine Yamal and Oyarzabal