Spain aspires to put the cherry on top of an unforgettable year

The Spanish team visits Copenhagen with the aim of putting the cherry on top of an unforgettable year. With qualification for the quarterfinals of the Nations League already sealed in October, the block led by Luis de la Fuente aspires to secure first place in the group, which would allow it to play at home in the second leg of that new round that will serve to In March, we will screen the four teams that will compete in the ‘final four’ of a tournament in which La Roja defends its title. It would be enough for Spain to get a point this Friday in its duel against Denmark to finish the job and thus round off the work done in a few months that have returned it to the top of the Old Continent.

The European champion arrives with her homework almost done for the confrontation that will take place at the Parken Stadion. A stage that he visited for the last time three years ago, when there he faced a thrilling match against Croatia that, through extension, opened the doors to the quarterfinals of the multi-venue Euro Cup for the troops led by Luis Enrique at the time. The soldiery now led by Luis de la Fuente, the architect who has revitalized with his calm leadership a team that marveled at the European Championship in Germany, will step on it again this Friday.

Everything goes according to plan for the Rioja native, who has made us forget those unfortunate applauses for Luis Rubiales in the assembly that the leader used to try to entrench himself in the federative seat with an etiquette football that has become the envy of everyone. Empowered by the title won on July 14 in Berlin and sporting a streak of 19 consecutive official matches without defeat since losing to Scotland in March 2023, the third best series in the history of the national team after 29 that he linked without bending the knee in the times of Vicente del Bosque and the 24 that he chained with Javier Clemente at the helm, De la Fuente disembarks in Copenhagen helming a ship that has new cabin boys on board.

The incorporation of Paredes, Casadó and Samu brings fresh air to a crew that aspires to anchor firmly in Copenhagen and thus turn next Monday’s appointment against Switzerland in Tenerife into a formality. To achieve this, he will have to overcome the obstacle of Denmark, a rival whom he already defeated on October 12 in Murcia with a solitary goal from Zubimendi, but whose life is at stake this Friday.

Premiere at the Red Dynamite

Second in the group with seven points, three less than Spain, the Red Dynamite could get into trouble if they fall to the Spanish squad and Serbia, third with four points, defeats Switzerland. In that case, they would fight a dog-eat-dog confrontation with the Balkan team at home on the last day. The Vikings will try to avoid it by appealing to the fortress they have in Copenhagen, where they have not succumbed since June 2022, accumulating twelve victories and one draw since then.

The fight against Spain will mark the debut on the Scandinavian bench of Brian Riemer, a former Anderlecht coach whose appointment as coach on October 24 put an end to Lars Knudsen’s interim spell. Thomas Frank’s former assistant at Brentford, where he coincided with David Raya, Riemer’s arrival should provide stability to a team that lost its coach in the last European Championship, Kasper Hjulmand, due to a mental health problem, without the His replacement, Morten Wieghors, debuted as a result of stress.

Born in Copenhagen 46 years ago, Riemer opted for the 4-3-3 during his time at Anderlecht. However, it is foreseeable that against Spain they will maintain the system with three centre-backs that worked so well for Denmark in their first two home games in this Nations League. Defensive solidity is one of the strong points of this Denmark that grows from the good footing of Hojbjerg and Eriksen in the engine room and that has Hojlund as its main reference up front.

Preventing Riemer from having a successful debut is the purpose of Spain, which will continue the bloc that triumphed over Denmark and Serbia in the previous window with the intention of avoiding speculation ahead of Monday, given that a narrow defeat in Copenhagen would force it to at least match Denmark’s result in Serbia and a greater setback would leave it at the expense of a Scandinavian setback in the Balkans. De la Fuente was already able to count on Morata and Cubarsí in the last training session before heading to Copenhagen, but he remains doubtful about Fabián due to stomach problems. If the Andalusian does not recover in time, Merino will accompany Zubimendi in the center of the field. Dani Olmo, one of the four players that Spain has warned of suspension, along with Raya, Ayoze and Oyarzabal, can also make his way into the eleven.

-Probable alignments:

Denmark: Schmeichel, Andersen, Vestergaard, Nelsson, Bah, Hjulmand, Hojbjerg, Dorgu, Eriksen, Hojlund y Gronbaek.

Spain: Raya, Porro, Vivian, Laporte, Cucurella, Zubimendi, Merino, Pedri, Dani Olmo, Oyarzabal and Nico Williams.

Referee: Rade Obrenovic (Slovenia).

Time: 8:45 p.m.

Stadium: Parken Stadion in Copenhagen.

TV: At 1.