Spain Need Win Against Croatia To Reach Nations League Quarter-Finals

Croatia vs Spain Spain can seal a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals with a win against Croatia, while Croatia must defeat the world champions to keep its own qualification hopes alive. The Group A3 match is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, at Stadion Poljud in Split, Croatia, with kick-off at 8:45pm local time, or 18:45 GMT. Spain arrive for the fourth round of the group stage after a 10-match winning streak. They also have a perfect record in the tournament and an overall 41-match unbeaten streak, giving them a strong position before the meeting with Croatia. Spain lead Group A3 Spain are top of the group with nine points from three wins. England are second with six points, Croatia are third with three, and the Czech Republic are at the bottom with none. The standings make the match especially important for both teams, although their immediate objectives are different. A victory would send Spain through to the Nations League quarter-finals, while Croatia need to beat Spain to keep their hopes of progressing alive. The Nations League’s top division sends the top two teams from each group through to the quarter-finals, which are scheduled to take place in March 2027. The competition was founded in 2018 to reduce the number of meaningless friendly matches and provide European nations with competitive games against teams of a similar ranking. It uses a league structure with promotion and relegation, and the teams play every other side in their group twice, once at home and once away. The league phase ends in November, while the finals will again be contested between four teams. The host and dates of the finals have not yet been confirmed. De la Fuente brings back regulars Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has named his side for the match, with several key players returning after he rotated heavily in the previous game against the Czech Republic. Unai Simón, Cubarsí, Cucurella and Oyarzabal are among those recalled. Pubill also returns to the starting line-up after starting against England and Croatia in the first leg. The Spain XI listed by Goal.com is Unai Simón, Pubill, Cubarsí, Laporte, Cucurella, Rodri, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Baena and Oyarzabal. The selection gives Spain a line-up that includes several of the players who have been central to their strong run in the competition. Al Jazeera’s probable Spain XI instead lists David Raya, Ivan Fresneda, Robin Le Normand, Aymeric Laporte, Fran Garcia, Rodri, Pedri, Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Alex Baena and Roberto Fernandez. Four Spain squad players are reported to be doubtful because of injuries: Ferran Torres has physical discomfort, Alejandro Grimaldo has a thigh issue, Joan Garcia has a knee problem and Nico Williams has a thigh injury. Yamal carries Spain’s attacking threat Lamine Yamal is one of the main focuses ahead of the match after scoring four goals in three Nations League games. He is the joint leading scorer in this year’s Nations League, alongside three other players, including England’s Harry Kane. The Barcelona star has scored in each game, including twice against Croatia in the initial meeting in Seville. Spain have scored 10 goals from seven different scorers in three matches, with Yamal leading their scoring charts. Alex Baena has also played an important role for Spain, contributing two assists and one goal. The attacking form gives Spain another advantage on paper, but the match still carries a different level of pressure for Croatia because of the group standings. The fixture has also been framed as another meeting between two generations, with Yamal and Luka Modrić at the centre of that contrast. Modrić remains central to Croatia Croatia’s team includes captain and midfielder Luka Modrić, who Al Jazeera describes as the heartbeat of the Croatian midfield even at 41 years old. Modrić has scored once in the current Nations League campaign. Ivan Perišić, another experienced Croatia player, has supplied two assists in the tournament. The Goal.com-listed Croatia XI is Dominik Livaković, Stanišić, Joško Gvardiol, Vušković, Šutalo, Kovačić, Luka Modrić, Nikola Vlašić, Ivan Perišić, Kristijan Jakić and Matanović. Al Jazeera’s probable line-up lists Dominik Livakovic, Josip Stanisic, Luka Vuskovic, Josko Gvardiol, Ivan Perisic, Luka Modric, Franjo Ivanovic, Petar Sucic, Mateo Kovacic, Martin Baturina and Petar Musa. The two published line-ups differ in several positions, with one described as the confirmed starting XI and the other as probable. Croatia’s preparations have also been affected by absences. Centre-back Martin Erlic is sidelined with an injury until mid-October, while Josip Juranovic is unavailable because of illness. A high-stakes meeting in Split Spain’s position is built on three wins from three games, while Croatia have three points from their opening three matches. Croatia’s recent performance has been described as far from exemplary, and the team suffered its heaviest defeat in history in its last fixture. That result has increased the importance of the meeting with Spain, who can move into the quarter-finals with another victory. Spain’s unbeaten run and attacking output have made them the stronger side in the build-up, according to Al Jazeera’s assessment. Croatia, however, have the experience of Modrić and Perišić in the line-up, while Spain will look to Yamal, Baena and its returning regulars to maintain their momentum. The match therefore brings together Spain’s push to confirm qualification and Croatia’s need for points in the same Group A3 contest.

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Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino came off the bench to score twice as world champions Spain came from behind to beat Croatia and reach the Nations League quarter-finals.

Merino scored his 14th and 15th goals for Spain, completing the turnaround after Croatia had taken the lead. The result also kept Spain at the top of League A - Group 3, three points ahead of England, who comfortably beat the Czech Republic 3-0 on Tuesday.

Coach Luis de la Fuente’s Spain had gone into the match looking to record an 11th consecutive win. Croatia, however, made the stronger start and opened the scoring in the 17th minute when Ivan Perisic headed the ball into the net.

Croatia had been thrashed 7-0 by England in its previous Nations League fixture. But the team produced a much-improved display against Spain and was given a standing ovation at half-time.

Spain responded strongly after the break. The equaliser came in the 61st minute after Dani Olmo took advantage of a poor clearance and picked out Merino. The Arsenal midfielder made no mistake with the finish.

Lamine Yamal then saw a goalbound shot blocked as Spain continued to push for the winning goal. Croatia suffered another setback when Perisic was sent off, just moments after seeing a strong effort saved.

The 37-year-old was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Marc Cucurella. His dismissal left Croatia with a numerical disadvantage and proved costly.

Spain took advantage two minutes from time. Merino latched on to a fine ball from Arsenal team-mate Martin Zubimendi before sending a brilliant finish into the back of the net.

The result completed Spain’s qualification to the quarter-finals and added to Croatia’s difficult run in the competition. Spain had already beaten Croatia 4-1 in Seville earlier in the international break and went into the match with three wins from three games.

Croatia captain Luka Modric had hoped his team would respond positively after the heavy defeat by England. Modric and his teammates had been crushed 7-0 at home by Thomas Tuchel’s England on Saturday, and the AC Milan midfielder said afterwards that he was “ashamed” of the team’s performance.

Croatia hosted Spain in Split in Group A3, while Spain were seeking to seal qualification to the quarterfinals. Before the match, Modric had said the result against England was not the only problem.

“Losing isn’t the problem, but the way we lost is,” the 41-year-old former Real Madrid star told reporters Monday.

“I hope the fans will cheer us on as always and that, after the match, they can judge how we played.

“That’s what we need, so we’re hoping for a positive reaction because what happened hurts us more than anyone.”

The atmosphere against Spain was different from the previous match against England. Croatia had been serving a one-match punishment for fan racism when it faced England. The game was played in front of a crowd of 6,000 local children 14 and under, who were exempted from the ban, as well as a handful of England supporters.

Modric had described Spain as a major challenge before the match. Spain had won the World Cup for the second time in July and was unbeaten in 41 matches.

“Spain is the best team in the world. They’re the champions,” Modric said.

“I don’t know how Spain is going to interpret our defeat... (but) what happened isn’t typical for our team, we all know that...

“Against the best team in the world, we have to fix everything, be aggressive, and not give them too much space to find solutions.”

The Croatia captain had also said he had not decided how long he would continue to represent his country. He earned his 205th cap against England.

“We’re taking it one game at a time. We’ll see if I leave the national team in a year or a month,” explained Modric, who had also spoken about his role with the team.

“The important thing for me is to be in a place that makes me happy. I’m willing to help at any time, both on and off the field.”

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic, who was coaching the team for the second spell in his career, had said the match against the new world champion offered a quick chance of redemption after the England defeat.

“It (the England thrashing) was incredibly tough. We’ll never forget it, but when there’s a fire, you have to react,” said Bilic.

“On one hand we have a very difficult opponent, but it’s the best opportunity for us.”

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente had played down the significance of Croatia’s 7-0 loss to England and warned that the result could motivate the team.

“What happened the other day was just an accident in football,” said the Spain coach.

“It doesn’t reflect the difference in footballing ability between Croatia and England. This result can motivate them.”

Teenage winger Lamine Yamal had been in excellent form for Spain in the team’s first three group matches, scoring in each of them, including a brace against Croatia. He also started the match against Czechia in Oviedo, Spain, on Saturday, when he scored Spain’s first goal during the UEFA Nations League match.

“Lamine is in fantastic form. He’s a role model and a born competitor,” De la Fuente had said.

“He’s in good shape to play tomorrow’s match. But so are other teammates, who are all in perfect condition.”

Dani Olmo also had a personal connection with Croatia. The Spain and Barca midfielder developed as a youth player at Dinamo Zagreb, although De la Fuente did not use him in Spain’s meeting with Croatia in Seville.

Olmo left Barcelona as a teenager to join Dinamo before later rejoining the Catalan giants in 2024 from RB Leipzig. He had explained why he decided to move to Croatia at the age of 16.

“Everyone has their own story... I took this decision, one of the hardest of my career to date... because of the interest of Dinamo and how much they wanted to help me grow,” explained Olmo.

“I trusted in that, I think it was one of the best steps I took in my career, leaving at 16, with my mother, to a new country, using a new language, it was difficult but beautiful.”