For some soccer players, the season has already come to an end. For others, however, vacation will have to wait—especially for the Spanish and French internationals. Both national teams will battle it out this Thursday for a spot in the UEFA Nations League final.
It’s expected to be a tightly contested match. Spain is currently ranked second in the FIFA standings, just behind Argentina. France isn’t far behind, sitting in third place, making this a high-stakes encounter between two of the world’s top squads.
Both teams, however, are dealing with several key absences. French manager Didier Deschamps will be without several defenders including Jules Koundé, Dayot Upamecano, and William Saliba, as well as Eduardo Camavinga due to injury.
On the Spanish side, Luis de la Fuente is also missing crucial players like Rodri—who recently recovered from a ligament tear—Ferran Torres (appendicitis), and Dani Carvajal, who is dealing with the same injury as the Manchester City midfielder.
Despite the importance of the match, fatigue is starting to set in this late in the season. Eight players expected to feature on Thursday also played in the Champions League final last Saturday, which saw PSG crowned European champions. France’s title winners include Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué, Bradley Barcola, Lucas Hernández, and Warren Zaïre-Emery, while Spain’s Fabián Ruiz also played in the final. Additionally, France’s Benjamin Pavard and Marcus Thuram, both of Inter Milan, enter as Champions League runners-up.
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The winner of this matchup will advance to the Nations League final, set for Sunday, June 8 at 3 PM ET, where they’ll face either Germany or Portugal. The two losing teams will meet in the third-place match earlier that day at 9 AM ET.
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Projected lineups for Spain vs. France
Spain: Unai Simón; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsí, Le Normand, Cucurella; Fabián Ruiz, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Nico Williams; MorataFrance: Maignan; Gusto, Konaté, Lucas Hernandez, Digne; Tchouaméni, Koné, Rabiot; Olise, Mbappé, Dembélé
