The Croatia national team continues its UEFA Nations League campaign with an away trip to Spain on Tuesday, 29 September. The match will be played at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium in Seville, kicking off at 20:45 local time.

The Vatreni come into this fixture with three points in the group, following a 2-1 away win against Czechia last week. Croatia coach Slaven Bilic will have to cope without several players. Martin Baturina and Josip Juranovic are out due to illness, while Martin Erlic is injured. The probable starting lineup is expected to feature Dominik Livakovic in goal, with Josip Stanisic, Luka Vuskovic, Josko Gvardiol and Ivan Perisic in defence. The midfield should consist of Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic, with the attack likely comprising Luka Sucic, Petar Sucic, Franjo Ivanovic and Igor Matanovic.

A generational clash on the pitch

A key talking point ahead of the match is the duel between Spain's 19-year-old sensation Lamine Yamal and Croatia's 41-year-old captain Luka Modric. Yamal scored within two minutes against England last time out and was named man of the match. Modric, meanwhile, opened the scoring against Czechia with his 47th-minute strike, which secured the first win of Bilic's tenure. "Luka Modric… We can only be proud that we live in his era and have the privilege to watch him play," said Bilic. "At his age, he is incredible and the only one who can do what he’s doing, you know what I mean."

Spain enter the match on an incredible 39-game winning streak, a European record. Their coach Luis de la Fuente has warned his team will not take the challenge lightly. "We will approach the next match against Croatia as if it was our last," said de la Fuente. The Spanish squad also has injury concerns: Joan Garcia is sidelined until early October, and Eric Garcia was replaced by Robin Le Normand due to knee discomfort.

The historical head-to-head favours the hosts, who have won six of the eleven meetings between the sides. The last encounter, a Euro 2024 group stage match, ended in a comprehensive 3-0 victory for Spain. For Croatia, this is an opportunity to break that sequence and strengthen their position in the Nations League group. Following this away fixture, the squad will return home to prepare for future challenges. The first-team squad list and player stats are available on the squad page.

Tuesday brought a heavy defeat for the Vatreni in Seville. Spain celebrated a 4:1 victory, ending Croatia's run of three wins in their last five matches. Lamine Yamal scored twice for the hosts, while Dion Drena Beljo got the sole goal for Croatia. Manager Slaven Bilić said, "We weren't sharp enough in the key moments."