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Luis Enrique enters his first major international tournament as a manager in turmoil with Spain’s whole Euros 2020 campaign under major doubt after a couple of their players tested positive for Covid-19 a few days before the start of the tournament.
La Roja is supposed to open their Euros 2020 campaign with a crucial match against Sweden in the late kick-off on 14th June.
The 2008 and 2012 UEFA European Championship winners Spain went unscathed during their qualification campaign, winning 8 and drawing a couple of their 10 matches in Group F. Enrique’s team scored 31 goals and conceded only 5 in reply in 10 matches.
On the other hand, Sweden came second in Group F, losing only a single match to eventual group-topper Spain, winning six and drawing the other three games of their 10 matches. The Janne Anderson-coached team scored 23 goals and conceded nine goals, with six of those conceded in just 2 matches.
Team News
Enrique’s squad selection caused uproar in a certain section of Spain fans with no Real Madrid players, including Spain skipper and most capped player Sergio Ramos not selected for the tournament along with Nacho, Dani Carvajal, Isco, and Marco Asensio.
Since then, skipper Sergio Busquets and Daniel Llorente have tested positive for Covid-19, and the Spanish squad has been quarantined and is going through a procedure where every player has to test negative three times in five days before being allowed to train or play with the team.
Sweden is in a similar crisis with Juventus forward Dejan Kulesevski and Bologna’s Matias Svanburg testing positive for Covid-19 in the last few days. Star striker and leading goalscorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic has also failed to regain fitness and was left out of the 26-member squad named by Anderson.
Key Players
Atletico Madrid skipper Koke would have to rise to the occasion and be a leader in the Spanish midfield that lacks the ever-present Busquets, at least for the first two group matches. Along with Rodri and Thiago, the 29-year old is expected to marshall the middle of the park for La Roja.
In defence, Spain would be relying on their latest debutant Aymeric Laporte who switched his nationality from France to Spain to play in the upcoming tournament. In the absence of Ramos, the Manchester City defender would be crucial in snuffing out the opposition attacks.
RB Leipzig’s Emil Forsberg has been blowing hot and cold over the last few seasons, and the left-sided midfielder would be hoping to rejuvenate his form at the Euros 2020 and act as a leader in an inexperienced Swedish attack.
Victor Lindelof has emerged as a calm and solid ball-playing defender for Manchester United in the past couple of years, and the same would be expected of the 26-year old in the Sweden jersey.
Prediction
Even if Spain is not the same formidable team that dominated world football between 2008 and 2012, Enrique’s side is expected to top a relatively easy Group E, which could be achieved if they beat Sweden in their tournament opener.
Sweden has the ability to pull off an upset on any given day, and the Ibrahimovic-less squad is highly motivated and did pretty well in their Euros 2020 qualification campaign without the AC Milan striker. The quality of Lindelof, Albin Ekdal, vice-captain Sebastian Larrson, Real Sociedad starlet Alexander Isak, and Mainz striker Robin Quaison could prove to be too much for the new-look Spanish defence.
