Spain vs Croatia – News and Probable Lineups

Spain will host their first domestic match since clinching the 2026 World Cup title when they face Croatia in a Nations League clash on Tuesday.

La Roja will come into this contest at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan following a thrilling 3-2 victory over England, while Croatia secured a win against the Czech Republic in their opening fixture.

Match overview

Spain has certainly emerged as the team to contend with in international football after adding a World Cup victory to their European title this summer.

La Roja displayed their championship mettle during Saturday’s UEFA Nations League opener against England, which was their first game since defeating Argentina 1-0 in the July final.

Lamine Yamal netted his eighth international goal just two minutes into the match at Wembley, but England responded with goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane to take the lead before half-time.

The match shifted dramatically when Kane struck the crossbar with a penalty in the 55th minute, shortly before Luis de la Fuente introduced Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal, both of whom made significant impacts by scoring to secure a 3-2 win for La Roja, marking their fourth victory in the last six encounters with England.

As a result of this remarkable turnaround, Spain has maintained an unbeaten streak in international play, with their last loss in regulation time coming from a 1-0 defeat to Colombia in a friendly in March 2024, and their most recent competitive loss occurring against Scotland in March 2023.

The team will be hopeful of extending their unbeaten streak, having triumphed in seven of their last ten encounters with Croatia, including three consecutive victories in their latest meetings.

Slaven Bilic has returned to lead Croatia, marking his second stint after his first tenure ended 14 years ago.

The 58-year-old has taken over from Zlatko Dalic, who departed following Croatia’s Round of 32 exit at the 2026 World Cup following the expiration of his contract.

Bilic commenced his second term with a challenging 2-1 away win over the Czech Republic on matchday one of Group A3.

Luka Modric, celebrating his 41st birthday earlier this month, opened the scoring just two minutes into the second half, but his goal was quickly equalized by Adam Karabec.

Marco Pasalic of Orlando City ultimately emerged as Croatia’s savior, scoring his second international goal more than two years after his first, ensuring a 2-1 triumph in Prague.

However, Croatia’s aspirations to replicate that success may be hindered by a disappointing record against Spain, having not won since a 3-2 home win in the Nations League back in November 2018. Their only victory on Spanish soil happened during a friendly match in March 1994, ending in a 2-0 scoreline.

Team News

Barcelona’s Joan Garcia and Tottenham Hotspur’s Pedro Porro were sidelined from the squad ahead of the game against England due to injuries.

Atletico Madrid defender Robin Le Normand has been called up to replace Barcelona’s Eric Garcia, who was forced to withdraw shortly before Saturday’s match due to injury.

Baena and Oyarzabal could be in line for starting roles after their pivotal contributions off the bench in the comeback victory against England.

Pedri made a promising appearance at Wembley and may be included in the starting XI if De la Fuente seeks to refresh his midfield for the upcoming fixture.

For Croatia, Union Berlin’s Josip Juranovic and Midtjylland’s Martin Erlic withdrew from the initial squad due to injury.

In their place, Lovro Majer, Marin Pongracic, and Kristijan Jakic have been called upon.

Marco Pasalic is vying for a starting position after scoring the decisive goal during Saturday’s match as a substitute.

Osasuna’s Ante Budimir could find himself in the lineup should Bilic decide to revamp his attacking options for Tuesday’s fixture.

Spain probable starting XI:

Simon; Pubill, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal

Croatia probable starting XI:

Livakovic; Stanisic, Vuskovic, Gvardiol, Perisic; Modric, Kovacic; L Sucic, P Sucic, Mario Pasalic; Budimir

Spain will be eager to impress in their first home match since securing the World Cup title, and with De la Fuente able to deploy a wealth of attacking options, the expectation is that the hosts may comfortably claim all three points on Tuesday.