Spain Injury News Ahead of World Cup Final
Spain made major news headlines on Tuesday evening. Entering as the underdogs in their World Cup semi-final against France, La Roja dominated Les Bleus to win by a score of 2-0 and book their place in the final.
However, it wasn’t always smooth sailing for Spain. They have a few injury worries ahead of the World Cup final, in which they’ll play against either England or Argentina.
Some of their top players could possibly miss out on their first World Cup final since 2010. All in all, Spain have five players who their fans might be worried about.
We have already taken a look at the injury news for England and Argentina ahead of their highly-anticipated semi-final clash. Now, it’s Spain’s turn. Who will the Euro 2024 champions be able to call upon?
Pedro Porro
Pedro Porro was excellent against France. Given a free role down the right flank, he did some excellent defensive work and also scored the second goal of the game after making a smart underlap.
Despite this, he was brought off in the 84th minute for Marcos Llorente after reportedly suffering ‘muscle tightness’ according to a report from Spanish outlet AS.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente stated that they will need to ‘assess’ Porro’s availability ahead of the final. For now, his status remains unclear.
Victor Munoz
Victor Munoz was given the all-clear on his muscular issue a few weeks ago, according to SPORT (via ThisIsAnfield). However, he has yet to play for Spain since then, despite being named on the bench in the games that have followed.
He suffered an injury before the World Cup began, but De la Fuente insisted on keeping him in the squad. While he is thought to be fit to start, his lack of inclusion has caused confusion amongst Spain supporters.
Munoz was linked with a move to Newcastle United in the summer transfer window, but would ultimately make the jump to Liverpool for a fee of just over £34 million.
Pedri
Barcelona star Pedri has always struggled with injuries. As such, there was plenty of concern abound when De la Fuente left him out of the starting XI to play against France.
Nevertheless, there is nothing to worry about, according to AS. The Spanish publication says that there is ‘no issue with his fitness’. Indeed, he was brought on later in the game, replacing Fabian Ruiz.
The decision to not include Pedri in the lineup was purely tactical. AS noted that Pedri ‘has not been at his best’ at the World Cup, which, in fairness, is probably true.
Nico Williams
Nico Williams is in a similar position to Victor Munoz. He, too, suffered an injury towards the start of the tournament, but has since been given a clean bill of health.
Despite this, his involvement in Spain’s World Cup campaign has been nonetheless minimal. This seems odd, especially for a player of his monumental talent. Premier League champions Arsenal have been linked with him for months now, but have yet to make a breakthrough (via Fichajes).
According to BOLAVIP, Williams’ absence from the starting XI was merely a tactical decision. Like Pedri, he made an appearance from the bench and showed no signs of any injury worries.
Lamine Yamal
A man who needs no introduction, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is Spain’s star player and perhaps the best footballer in the world right now.
Spain fans will be sweating over his injury status – concerningly, according to AS, he finished the game against France with a ‘noticeable limp’.
De la Fuente does not seem to be too worried, stating that he is ‘fine as far as I know’. As things stand, he appears to be fit to play in the final, but these things can often change in an instant.
