Spain vs. Croatia: Nations League Match Preview

Spain's coach, Luis de la Fuente, returns to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuán Stadium in Seville, a venue significant from his early managerial days. Spain enters this match following a 3-2 victory against England at Wembley.

"Coming to Seville always stirs a special emotion in me," De la Fuente shared. "I spent a long time here. I'd tell the Luis de la Fuente who coached the Sevilla youth team 25 years ago, ‘Don't give up, keep insisting, stay consistent’. That’s what has got me to where I am now."

He added, "The great strength of our team is that we have many systems and many ways of playing, always strengthening our ideals. We are a solid, strong team that controls the game. But of course Croatia can compete with us and they have a chance. We know them very well from our match-ups over the years.”

Croatia, under Slaven Bilic's second tenure, also started their campaign with a win, beating Czechia 2-1. This follows a 14-year absence for Bilic from the team's helm.

"This is Spain’s first home game after winning the World Cup," Bilic stated. "I have no doubt it will be special, but it certainly won’t be an exhibition game. From our side, we won’t make too much of their ‘celebration’. There is no greater challenge than playing a competitive game against the best in the world."

"If you play at the highest level, both individually and as a team, you can compete against Spain. There are things you can exploit. What is certain is that to match them, we have to play at a top, top level. We don’t need a miracle; we need belief and quality.”

UEFA Nations League Latest Standings

#	Team	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Form
1	Spain	1	1	0	0	3	2	1	3	W
2	Croatia	1	1	0	0	2	1	1	3	W
3	England	1	0	0	1	2	3	-1	0	L
4	Czechia	1	0	0	1	1	2	-1	0	L

• Position 1, 2: Play Offs: Quarter-finals
• Position 3: Relegation Playoffs
• Position 4: Relegation

Team News

Spain's squad saw Eric Garcia withdraw due to a minor injury sustained during pre-match warm-ups before the England game. Marc Pubill stepped in at right-back. Robin Le Normand rejoins the squad, replacing the Barcelona player. Josep Martinez was a prior replacement for goalkeeper Joan Garcia, who has a minor knee issue. Dean Huijsen is included for Marcos Llorent after his international retirement.

Espanyol forward Roberto Fernandez received his first national call-up but was not in the matchday squad against England.

Croatia's Martin Erlic (foot) and Josip Juranovic (hamstring) are out due to injury. Martin Baturina is unwell. Marin Pongracic and Kristijan Jakic have been added to the squad late, along with midfielder Lovro Majer.

Rangers goalkeeper Ivor Pandur may debut. Luka Modric, who recently turned 41, could earn his 204th cap. Modric scored the opening goal in Croatia's win against Czechia, where Marco Pasalic scored the winning goal.

Expected Lineups

Spain: Unai Simon, Marc Pubill, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella, Rodri, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena, Mikel Oyarzabal

Croatia: Dominik Livakovic, Josip Stanisic, Luka Vuskovic, Josko Gvardiol, Ivan Perisic, Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Luka Sucic, Petar Sucic, Franjo Ivanovic, Ante Budimir

Spain vs. Croatia Stats and Form

• The most recent meeting saw Spain win 3-0 at EURO 2024. However, the two preceding encounters finished level after 90 minutes.
• After a 0-0 draw in the 2023 Nations League final, Spain won 5-4 on penalties. Two years prior, Spain won 5-3 after extra time in the EURO 2020 Round of 16.
• Spain has won seven of the 11 previous matches between the teams. Croatia's last victory was a 3-2 win in the Nations League in November 2018.
• Spain is unbeaten in regulation time in their last 39 matches (30 wins, 9 draws), since a 1-0 friendly loss to Colombia on March 22, 2024. This sets a new record for a European nation, surpassing Italy's 37-game streak from October 2018 to September 2021.
• La Roja have not lost their last eight away Nations League group matches (5 wins, 3 draws). Their last eight Nations League games overall have seen 39 goals.
• Bilic guided Croatia to their sole win in Spain, a 2-0 friendly victory in Valencia in March 1994. Spain has since beaten Croatia 3-1 in Seville (May 1999) and 6-0 in Elche (September 2018, Nations League).
• Croatia is on a five-match unbeaten away run (4 wins), but they have lost three of their last five games outside Croatia. They have scored in their last seven away matches.
• Their win in Czechia ended a five-game winless streak away from home in the Nations League. It was also their first goal in such a match in nearly five hours of football.

Where to Watch

The match kicks off at 19:45 BST. In the UK, live coverage is available on Amazon Prime PPV for £2.49. International broadcast information can be found on UEFA's Nations League website.

Prediction