Spain defender Aymeric Laporte will not play in the match against Croatia because he was left out of the squad. The reason - due to unspecified "problems". This was announced by the coach of the Spanish national team, Luis de la Fuente, who was not very specific about who will start in the team's first match at Euro 2024 against Croatia, BTA reports.
De la Fuente said Laporte is fit enough to play against the Croatians, although he does not see him as an option. "Laporte is not injured. He just had some issues and I thought we weren't going to take any chances. So he won't play tomorrow," said the 62-year-old specialist.
2008 and 2012 champions Spain reached the last 16 in 2016 and were beaten on penalties by Italy in the semi-finals of the last European Championship. The Spaniards expect a tough first match of the tournament against the Croatians.
"We are playing against another strong team, it will not be easy. It's a very close tournament with some of the best players in the world, so we have to perform at a really high level and do things right,'' De la Fuente said.
Although he refused to reveal who would start, the coach heaped praise on both wings - Lamin Yamal, 16, and Nico Williams, 21, with Yamal being singled out in particular. "He is a young lad with incredible talent, it is almost a gift from God. "Very few players have his qualities in terms of understanding the game," the Spain coach added.
Midfielder Rodri stressed the importance of getting off to a good start in Group B, where they also face European champions Italy and Albania.
"The tournament is short, the group is tough and we know how important a good first result is in this type of championship. You're still nervous at first. We want to see how the team will react when they play at a high level," emphasized Rodri.