Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has offered an update on his team ahead of their first World Cup 2026 warm-up on Thursday against Iraq.
The players are tuning up for the summer tournament with two friendlies before their opener against Cape Verde on June 15th and De la Fuente says he will be without injured stars Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.
“None of the injured players will be available tomorrow. But we have a timeline, and that timeline indicates they’ll be ready by the 15th,” he told a pre-match
press conference.
“If everything continues as it has been, they could be ready to start on the 15th. But that doesn’t guarantee they’ll play; we’ll see. We’ll assess the situation at each stage.”
Marc Bernal is currently with the Spain squad as part of a small group of back-up players and came in for praise for his performances this season.
“We are very happy with all the players who are here helping us (the support group). They all give us a different impression than what they show on television,” he explained.
“When you’re with them, that’s when you really see a footballer’s potential. Marc has had a fantastic season; he has a brilliant future if he keeps working like this. If he continues on this path, he can go far. We are extremely pleased.”
The Spain boss was also asked about his goalkeepers, with Barcelona’s Joan Garcia hoping for minutes, but was incredibly coy when it came to his team selection.
“We want to take it one game at a time and focus on what’s most important for the team. David Raya arrives tonight,” he explained.
“We’ll see what’s most important to us. We have complete confidence in the three goalkeepers who will travel with us to the United States. We’ll see tomorrow who has to play or if we need to make any changes.”
Spain and Iraq kick-off in A Coruna at 9pm local time and will then jet out to Mexico for a final friendly against Peru.
