La Roja begins his journey in the third edition of the League of Nations against the theoretically most demanding rival of his group in the Benito Villamarín
A year after drawing 0-0 in a friendly at the Metropolitano that served as the line-up for the upcoming Multi-venue European Championship, Spain and Portugal meet again to begin their journey in the third edition of the League of Nations. A tournament whose winners were inaugurated precisely in 2019 by the quinas, beating the Netherlands in the duel that solved the ‘final four’ in the Portuguese domains, and which put Luis’s team a step away from glory Enrique last October, beating in Milan by France in a stake marked by controversy.
The Spanish team far exceeded that disappointment by sealing the passport for the World Cup in Qatar weeks later in the La Cartuja stadium. A Morata goal broke Sweden’s resistance and saved La Roja from that dreaded play-off that the block led by Fernando Santos had to endure. The defeat to Serbia on the last day of the qualifying stage condemned the Iberian neighbor to risk his presence at the big planetary event at the end of March, first against Turkey and then against surprising North Macedonia, which he brought down with a Bruno Fernandes’ double that finally opened the doors of the exotic World Cup that the Asian country will host between November 21 and December 18 of this year.
With their sights set on this ever-approaching event, Luis Enrique’s troop returns to Seville to face a major challenge against the ever-demanding army led by Cristiano Ronaldo in a showdown that kicks off the grueling carousel of four games that the Spanish team will have to face in a week and a half. On Sunday he will visit the thriving Czech Republic in Prague, four days later he will challenge the ulcerative Switzerland in Geneva and conclude his intense agenda on the 12th in Malaga with the Czech Republic again.
An exhausting calendar that will serve the 24 called up by Luis Enrique to end a grueling season. None of them even think about the holidays yet, as the World Cup is just around the corner and every phone call from the Asturian is an opportunity to secure a seat on that flight no one wants to miss. While the coach has well outlined which block he will face the challenge of taking Spain back to the pinnacle of world football, there are still places available and these four Nations League matches, plus the two in September, will help him to run the last screen.
Luis Enrique, who ultimately cannot count on Thiago due to an injury, has Eric García between the sheets. Added to this is Laporte’s loss, which will force him to rebuild the defense without who has been his undisputed boss since the Manchester City defender took the alternative in the aforementioned clash against the Portuguese 12 months ago. The return of Iñigo Martínez is a major relief because of the experience and strength that the Athletic centre-back brings. Another happy return is that of Busquets, who has returned to captaincy of La Roja after Luis Enrique exempted him from March’s friendlies against Albania and Iceland. Above, Morata will once again be the benchmark, with Raúl de Tomás in the room.
In contrast, a Portugal that has not won Spain in over ten years. Namely since June 29, 2010, when the peloton led by Vicente del Bosque defeated the Portuguese in the second round of the World Cup in South Africa. Since then, the balance between the two powerhouses has been four draws and a 4-0 thrashing of fifths in a friendly that hosted the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon in November 2010.
Fernando Santos will not be able to count on Vitinha, who tested positive for covid-19 a few days ago, nor on Joao Félix, injured in the latter part of the campaign, but he has a terrifying group in which Pepe is still in charge of the At the rear, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandes provide fantasy in the engine room and Cristiano puts his inexhaustible gunpowder at the service of the business.
The Manchester United attacker has signed a campaign to forget with his club in the collective section, but his individual records continue to spread panic. He is the top scorer in the national football team with 115 goals. He is nine games short of the all-time record for international caps held by Malaysian Soh Chin Ann, who he was able to hunt for during the Qatar World Cup, and he is trying to raise his score against La Roja, against the who has only seen the door , albeit triple, in the World Cup in Russia.
Source: La Verdad
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