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How Spain could line up against Portugal

sportsmole.co.uk, 25 September 2022, 09:25
Spain manager Luis Enrique will be expected to make changes for Tuesday's UEFA Nations League finale against Portugal in League A Group 2.

Dani Carvajal and Diego Llorente were both absent from Saturday's 2-1 loss to Switzerland, as the pair would have missed Tuesday's game if they were booked at the weekend.

Enrique will likely consider recalls for both men here, with Carvajal in line to replace Cesar Azpilicueta in an otherwise unchanged Roja backline.

Only three points will do for Spain if they are to pip Portugal to a spot in the finals, and Jordi Alba should hold his place at left-back after briefly equalising against the Swiss, with Eric Garcia and Pau Torres protecting Unai Simon once more.

It would not be a surprise to see Enrique break up the Barcelona midfield trio of Gavi, Pedri and Sergio Busquets, with the former and latter at risk of dropping out for Koke and Rodri this week.

Enrique went without a recognised striker against Switzerland, with Marco Asensio given the nod over Alvaro Morata, but the Real Madrid man should make way for his counterpart here.

Pablo Sarabia and Ferran Torres both failed to complete the full 90 at the weekend, but the pair can feel confident about their chances of starting out wide, as Nico Williams and Yeremi Pino take up spots on the bench.

Spain possible starting lineup: Simon; Carvajal, Garcia, Torres, Alba; Koke, Rodri, Pedri; Sarabia, Morata, Torres

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