Spain’s Nations League Squad: Barcelona Players at the Core

Luis de la Fuente’s Spain will look familiar when they walk out at Wembley, but there are a couple of fault lines in an otherwise settled squad – and Barcelona sit right at the heart of it.

Midfield tweak: Fermin in, Gavi out (for now)

The most obvious adjustment comes in midfield. Fermin Lopez is expected to step in for Gavi, who is suspended for the opening UEFA Nations League clash against England in London.

Gavi’s situation is a strange one. He misses Wembley through suspension and has also lost his starting place at Barcelona after the injury he suffered at the start of La Liga against Elche. His rhythm has gone, his automatic status with his club has slipped.

Yet inside the national team set-up, his standing has not. De la Fuente rates him extremely highly, to the point that Gavi cannot be dismissed from any squad calculation. Once available, he remains very much in the frame, even if he has to fight his way back at club level.

Fermin, meanwhile, has timed his rise well. With a spot open in that interior role for the first game, he is the natural candidate to slot in and show he belongs in this new core of Spain’s midfield.

The third striker dilemma

Up front, two names are inked in. Mikel Oyarzabal and Ferran Torres have their places assured. They form the attacking reference points De la Fuente trusts.

The problem lies behind them. The third striker role, previously occupied by Borja Iglesias, is wide open.

Iglesias started the season with issues in his soleus muscle and has barely featured. That lack of continuity has cost him. The shirt he held is now up for grabs.

And the young forwards are circling.

• Sergio Camello
• Roberto
• Espi
• Gonzalo

are all in contention to claim that final attacking berth. None of them come with the status Iglesias once had, but they bring freshness, hunger and the kind of edge that can change a coach’s mind across four intense matches.

One of them is likely to get a Nations League audition. The question is who convinces De la Fuente that they can handle the jump.

A smaller list, a heavier load

The UEFA Nations League group stage tightens the margin for error. Only 23 players can be registered, compared with 26 in the final rounds.

That restriction forces tough choices, yet the calendar offers no mercy. Spain will play four matches in a short window, which means rotation is not a luxury – it is a necessity. The squad may be numerically smaller, but the workload is bigger, and De la Fuente will need options he trusts in every line.

Barcelona as the backbone

Amid all the debate, one certainty stands out: Barcelona will again form the backbone of the national team.

• Joan Garcia
• Eric Garcia
• Pau Cubarsi
• Pedri
• Dani Olmo
• Rodri
• Lamine Yamal

are all guaranteed places. That is already a powerful block of seven players from the Catalan club, spread across the pitch and central to Spain’s identity on the ball.

And there could be more.

Gavi and Fermin Lopez are both candidates to join them, as is Xavi Espart. If all three make the cut, Spain would head into the Nations League with 10 Barcelona players in the squad – a throwback to eras when the national team’s style and core were unmistakably shaped in Catalonia.

It would also underline De la Fuente’s trust in that group to dictate games at the highest level.

A demanding start

Spain’s schedule offers no easing-in period.

They open their UEFA Nations League campaign against England at Wembley on 26 September, a stage that exposes any weakness instantly. Three days later, on 29 September, Croatia come to Seville, bringing the control and experience that have made them one of Europe’s most awkward opponents.

Then comes a trip north to Oviedo to face the Czech Republic on 3 October, a game that will test the depth of the squad and the effectiveness of rotation.

Spain close the window away to Croatia in Split on 6 October, a fixture that could carry heavy weight in the group standings.

By then, the answers will be clearer. Will Fermin have seized his chance? Will a young striker have nailed down that vacant spot? And will Barcelona’s core once again drive Spain through another demanding international window?