De la Fuente leaves four players out of Spain's squad for the England clash
Luis de la Fuente, the Spain head coach, has finalised his squad for the clash against England, scheduled for this Sunday evening at the Metropolitano Stadium in the capital Madrid, in the final round of the group stage of the UEFA Nations League.
The World Cup-winning coach made the cuts after recovering a number of key players who had missed the recent 2-0 win over the Czech Republic, leaving four men out of the squad. Alejandro Grimaldo also departed the camp after catching flu, according to the Spanish network "COPE".
Those left out included Rayo Vallecano forward Jorge de Frutos, Espanyol's Roberto Fernández, Como defender Jacobo Ramón and Real Betis goalkeeper Álvaro Valles. The Spanish coach preferred to lean on more experienced names for the upcoming meeting with England.
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Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal both returned to hand De la Fuente extra options up front, having sat out the recent clash with the Czech Republic.
Yamal did not travel to Prague as he recovers from a knee injury, while Oyarzabal stayed in San Sebastián for the birth of his second child.
Both men joined up with the national team's camp in Madrid ahead of the England clash, making them available to feature.
Nico Williams and Aymeric Laporte also came back into the fold after missing the Czech Republic match, and their returns shaped the coach's final choices.
Laporte's return to the backline cost Jacobo Ramón his place, one of the new faces during the current break, while Valles dropped back to fourth-choice goalkeeper and out of the matchday squad, having already been left out against the Czech Republic.
De Frutos and Roberto Fernández simply could not hold on once the key attacking options returned.
Yamal takes the number 10 shirt worn by Víctor Muñoz against the Czech Republic, while Oyarzabal reclaims the number 21.
England matters enormously in the Group Three picture in League A. Spain go into the match top on 15 points, three clear of England in second, making it decisive in the fight for top spot.
A draw would be enough for Spain to seal first place in the group. England must win to draw level on points, with goal difference in the head-to-head meetings and other factors deciding things should the two sides finish level.
Spain beat the Czech Republic 2-0 in the fifth round of the UEFA Nations League group stage, while England saw off Croatia 2-1 in the same round.
The first leg between England and Spain at Wembley Stadium in London ended in a thrilling 3-2 win for the visitors, an encounter packed with twists.
