Spain look to continue winning run as England visit Seville

MADRID, Oct. 14 — The Spain national side can assure their place in the Final Four of the UEFA Nations League if they are able to defeat England in Betis’ Benito Villamarin Stadium on Monday night.
Even a draw would probably be enough for Luis Enrique’s side after they began the competition with a 2-1 win over England at Wembley in September and followed that up with a 6-0 demolition of Croatia, with the Spanish cause also helped by the 0-0 draw between Croatia and England on Saturday night.
Luis Enrique’s first three matches as Spain coach have seen three convincing performances, including a 4-1 win in Wales on Friday and as well as home advantage, his side have enjoyed an extra 24 hours to recover after their last match.
England are without several key players on Monday with Jesse Lingard, Danny Rose and Dele Ali injured, while Jordan Henderson and Kyle Walker after suspended after picking up bookings in Croatia.
England coach Gareth Southgate has to decide whether to stick with the four-man back line that he used against Croatia or with the three central defenders he used in previous games, although he is likely to stick with the back four to allow an extra central midfielder to start.
Henderson’s suspension could give the chance for James Maddison to make his full debut, while it will be interesting to see if Southgate starts with 18-year-old Jadon Sandro, who impressed after coming on as a substitute at the weekend.
Luis Enrique meanwhile probably won’t make too many changes to his side with Paco Alcacer likely to keep his place after scoring two goals against Wales on his return to the international fold.
Sergio Busquets will return in midfield, despite Rodrigo’s impressive display in Wales, while Marc Bartra will no doubt be anxious to get the chance to play in his home ground, which is expected to be close to full with over 50,000 tickets sold by the end of Saturday night as fans look to catch a glimpse of Luis Enrique’s impressive new-look team. – XINHUA