Victory over France on Thursday will see Spain reach the UEFA Nations League final for the third time.
Luis de la Fuente’s side love this competition, and they’re the current holders after beating Croatia in the final on penalties two years ago.
Spain have since triumphed at Euro 2024 and sit only behind world champions Argentina in FIFA’s rankings. They haven’t lost since March 2024, with their two draws against the Netherlands in March extending their unbeaten run to an impressive 18 games.
A Nations League semifinal with a familiar foe is on the horizon, and Spain will be wary of France’s desire to enact revenge for their defeat in last summer’s Euro 2024 semifinal.
Here’s how La Roja could line up on Thursday night.
Spain Predicted Lineup vs. France (4-2-3-1)
GK: Unai Simón—David Raya has claimed back-to-back Premier League Golden Gloves and is a threat to Simón’s number one status. However, De la Fuente stuck by the Athletic Club goalkeeper in March and will do the same here.
RB: Óscar Mingueza—The former Barcelona defender has enjoyed an impressive resurgence with Celta Vigo, who’ll be playing in Europe next season. Mingueza is in line to earn his fourth cap.
CB: Pau Cubarsí—Spain’s experienced options are set to be shunted aside in favour of majestic youth. Cubarsí has starred for Barça since breaking through and will be the cornerstone of his country’s defence for the next decade.
CB: Dean Huijsen—Huijsen and Cubarsí are poised to be Spain’s preferred centre-back pairing for the long haul, especially with the ex-Bournemouth defender joining Real Madrid this summer. His rise has been meteoric over the past 12 months.
LB: Marc Cucurella—The Chelsea left-back has been ever so reliable for the national team, and he’s a shoo-in to start given that Alejandro Balde is still out of the squad.
CM: Pedri—Remarkably, Spain soared to Euro 2024 glory without the brilliant Pedri playing a major role. The midfielder has since enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career, and will certainly be in De la Fuente’s engine room on Thursday.
CM: Fabian Ruíz—The elegant operator was excellent again as PSG finished the job in Munich at the weekend. Ruíz is purring Paris and has been a consistent performer for Spain in recent times.
RW: Lamine Yamal—It was against France in last summer’s Euro 2024 semifinal when Yamal truly announced himself to the world. The teenager has since reached superstardom, and some might argue that he’s currently the best around.
AM: Dani Olmo—Yamal’s wonder strike stole the headlines in the aforementioned semifinal, but Olmo hurt France, too. He had an up-and-down year with Barcelona due to injuries, but he’s Spain’s best for this role when fit and firing.
LW: Nico Williams—Williams worked wonderfully in tandem with Yamal last summer, and France’s full-backs are in for a long evening on Thursday. The Athletic Club star doesn’t yet know where he’ll be playing his club football come the start of 2025–26.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Spain Predicted Lineup vs. France: UEFA Nations League Semifinal.
