Spain are set to host Colombia in a friendly at West Ham United’s London Stadium as both teams gear up for the summer.
With the UEFA Euro 2024 and the Copa America scheduled after the end of the season, major international teams will square up against each other to prepare themselves for the mega-events in the summer. Spain and Colombia will go up against each other with the intention of finding the perfect balance for the upcoming continental competition.
Spain are gearing up for the European Championships, which will begin in the middle of June, while Colombia are preparing themselves for the Copa America that will get underway towards the end of June.
La Roja had an impressive qualifying campaign, where they won seven out of their eight matches, ended top of the table and qualified with ease. They will square up against Croatia, Italy and Albania in the group stage of UEFA Euro 2024.
While it is a tough group, Spain have the quality in their ranks to make it to the knockout stage. They have three friendlies before the mega-event and will look to make the best use of it starting with the fixture against Colombia.
Los Cafeteros won the Copa America back in 2001 and have since finished third on two out of the last three occasions. They are expected to go deep in the tournament but before heading into it. Colombia have three friendly fixtures to test their team starting with the one against Spain.
The South Americans have been unbeaten in their last 19 matches in all competitions, and their last defeat came at the hands of Argentina back in 2022. Colombia have a lot of quality in their ranks and will look to put up a show against a star-studded Spanish team that have already defeated Brazil back in November.
It promises to be an exciting encounter between the two teams, and The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at their squads to predict the tactics they could deploy.
Team News & Tactics
Spain
Luis de la Fuente, who took charge as Spain’s manager at the start of last year, is expected to name a strong starting XI in this friendly fixture. While he will be without the services of the Barcelona duo of Pedri and Gavi, who are out injured, there are still a lot of options to choose from. De la Fuente has called up Alex Remiro, Pau Cubarsi and Dani Vivian to the Spanish team for the first time.
The trio will be eager to get a chance and prove their mettle ahead of UEFA Euro 2024. La Roja will stick to the 4-3-3 formation, where Unai Simon will be in goal. Dani Carvajal and Alejandro Grimaldo will be the full-back pairing, while Aymeric Laporte and Robin Le Normand will feature in the heart of the defence.
The back four will look for a clean sheet, and they will have the support of Rodri, who will feature as the defensive midfielder. The Manchester City star will be accompanied by Mikel Merino and Fabian Ruiz in the centre of the park. Nico Williams and Dani Olmo will feature on the flanks and provide width to their attacks, while skipper Alvaro Morata will lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Simon; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Grimaldo; Merino, Rodri, Ruiz; Olmo, Morata, Nico Williams
Colombia
Los Cafeteros have quite a few injuries to deal with. They will be without the services of Yerry Mina, Davinson Sanchez, Mateus Uribe, and Juan Cuadrado. Despite the absence of the quartet, they still have enough quality in their ranks to put up a decent starting XI.
Colombia will go ahead with the 4-2-3-1 formation, where David Ospina will be in goal. Daniel Munoz and Santiago Arias will be the full-backs, while Johan Mojica and Jhon Lucumí will take charge in the heart of the defence.
The back four will be protected by the duo of Kevin Castano and Jorge Carrascal, who will form the double pivot in the centre of the park. They will not only shield the backline but also look to distribute the ball out wide and initiate quick-fire counter-attacks.
Juan Fernando Quintero and Liverpool star Luis Diaz will be the two wingers. They will provide width to their attacks and will also look to link up with former Real Madrid star James Rodriguez who will feature as the attacking midfielder. Finally, Rafael Santos Borre will feature up top as the striker for Colombia against Spain.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Ospina; Munoz, Mojica, Lucumi, Arias; Castano, Carrascal; Quintero, Rodriguez, Diaz; Borre
Key Stats
- Colombia have been unbeaten in their last 19 matches in all competitions
- Spain have won each of their last eight matches heading into this fixture.
- Colombia are on a four-match winning streak.
- In their UEFA Euro 2024 qualification campaign, La Roja won seven out of their eight games and ended top of their group.
- Spain will begin their European Championship campaign against Croatia on June 15 while Colombia will begin their Copa America campaign against Paraguay on June 24.
Player to Watch
Nico Williams
The competition on the flanks is quite intense in the Spanish squad as they have some of the best young wingers in their ranks. 21-year-old Nico Williams is an exceptional talent who has been doing wonders for the Athletic Club in Spain with 19 goal contributions this term. But, if he wants to cement his place in the Spanish national team as a starter, he will have to bring his A-game to the table against Colombia.
Prediction
Spain 2-1 Colombia
Spain are the favourites heading into this fixture as they have more quality in their ranks, but it won’t be that straightforward. They will have to give it their all to ensure they get the desired result.
Colombia might not have similar depth in their squad, but they do have enough quality in their starting XI that will make life difficult for La Roja. The Hard Tackle predicts a hard-fought 2-1 win for Spain.
