Luis Enrique starts the ‘casting’
The Spanish team faces Jordan in a friendly less than a week after its World Cup debut
MADRID, 16 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish men’s soccer team will play this Thursday (5:00 p.m./La1) a friendly preparation against Jordan, a rival that will help them pick up pace for their expected debut next week against Costa Rica in the World Cup in Qatar.
Six days after making its appearance at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Spain will carry out its only test to continue adjusting things for the assault on the world throne. The national coach Luis Enrique already warned on the day of the summoned list that this match would not give clues about the first World Cup eleven, but he has made it clear that it will serve to draw “conclusions”.
In this way, this confrontation against the number 84 of the FIFA ranking, unprecedented in the history of the national team, may mean the start of a kind of ‘casting’ to see who will occupy the first eleven leading roles against the ‘ticos’, although some they seem already reserved in theory.
The 26 graced with this presence in Qatar know very well that the Asturian coach is little given to leaving room for relaxation. For this reason, those who have minutes at the Amman International Stadium will seek with their efforts to earn the possibility of debuting in a World Cup, a situation that twenty of them are still unaware of.
Luis Enrique was also clear in saying that he would use above all those players who had fewer minutes or who were less “loaded” and in the preview he already reduced the forecasts somewhat by confirming that Álvaro Morata, Hugo Guillamón and Marcos Llorente will rest due to inconvenience to the ones that mattered less.
In addition, the Gijón coach also announced that Ansu Fati will start and that he expects him to be able to play the entire game, looking for the young Spanish-Guinean striker to recover his confidence and the level he was before his knee injury. The player has not played for the ‘Red’ for two years and will want to show that the commitment to take him has not been in vain.
Little else can be glimpsed of the lineup that Luis Enrique will have in the Jordanian capital, although it seems that it could be a good opportunity for Robert Sánchez or David Raya in goal, or for players who have just come out of injury like Koke Resurrección, Eric García, Dani Olmo or Aymeric Laporte, or with little participation like Carlos Soler, pick up more rhythm.
In addition, it will be necessary to see how the offensive front is outlined without the presence of Morata and who plays that role that could be for Marco Asensio, who already did it against Portugal in the last game, or Ferran Torres, also used to that position.
Spain starts as a clear favorite against Jordan, twelfth ranked in the Asian Confederation, counting Australia, and who will want to take the opportunity to face a top-level rival to continue gaining experience and a better football level for the future.
The Jordanian team will oppose their enthusiasm and compete for as long as possible against the ‘Red’, which they will receive at a positive moment of five consecutive victories without conceding a goal, against rivals closer to their level such as Oman or Syria. Their last games against European teams were a year ago, ending with a defeat against Belarus (1-0) and victory against Kosovo (0-2).
JORDANIA: Abu Laila, Haddad, Nassib, Al Arab, Abu Hashish; Al Taamari, Samir, Al-Rawabdeh, Ayed, Abu Zureik; and Ali Alwan.
SPAIN: Robert Sanchez; Azpilicueta, Eric Garcia, Laporte, Jordi Alba; Soler, Rodri, Koke; Dani Olmo, Asensio and Ansu Fati.
–ÁRBITRO: Ahmed Al Kaf (OMA).
–STADIUM: Amman International.
–TIME: 17.00/La1.
