Spain can secure a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals when they face Croatia in Split on Tuesday, with the World Cup holders arriving on a 10-match winning run and unbeaten in their last 41 matches.
The Group A3 fixture at Stadion Poljud starts at 8.45pm local time, or 6.45pm GMT. Spain lead the group with nine points from three games, while Croatia are third on three points.
Spain have scored 10 goals through seven different players in the tournament so far. Lamine Yamal has been their standout threat, scoring four times in three matches and finding the net in every game.
The Barcelona forward scored twice when the sides met in Seville, adding another chapter to the developing contest between the teenage Spain star and Croatia captain Luka Modric.
Spain and Croatia’s Nations League campaigns
Spain opened their campaign with a 3-2 victory away to England, before beating Croatia 4-1 and Czechia 3-1.
Croatia began with a 2-1 win against Czechia but then lost 4-1 to Spain and suffered a 7-0 defeat by England, the heaviest loss in the country’s history.
The teams have met 12 times, with Spain winning seven matches, Croatia three and two ending in draws.
Modric remains central to Croatia’s midfield at the age of 41 and has scored once in this Nations League campaign. Ivan Perisic has contributed two assists.
For Spain, Atletico Madrid’s Alex Baena has scored once and supplied two assists, while Yamal is joint-top of the competition’s scoring charts alongside three other players, including England captain Harry Kane.
Team news before Croatia v Spain
Croatia will be without centre-back Martin Erlic, who is injured until mid-October, while Josip Juranovic is unavailable because of illness.
The likely Croatia side is Dominik Livakovic; Josip Stanisic, Luka Vuskovic, Josko Gvardiol, Ivan Perisic; Luka Modric; Franjo Ivanovic, Petar Sucic, Mateo Kovacic, Martin Baturina; and Petar Musa.
Spain have four injury doubts: Ferran Torres has physical discomfort, Alejandro Grimaldo has a thigh problem, Joan Garcia has a knee issue and Nico Williams is struggling with a thigh injury.
Spain’s probable line-up is David Raya; Ivan Fresneda, Robin Le Normand, Aymeric Laporte, Fran Garcia; Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena; and Roberto Fernandez.
The Nations League was introduced in 2018 to replace some international friendlies with competitive matches between teams of a similar standard. It is divided into four leagues, with promotion and relegation between them.
In League A, the top two teams in each group advance to the quarter-finals, which are scheduled for March 2027. The competition’s four-team finals will follow, although their host and dates have not yet been confirmed.
The match will be shown in the United Kingdom on Prime Video UK. Croatia’s broadcaster is gol, while Spain’s coverage is on RTVE Play.
