Spain will look to continue their preparation for the World Cup with a friendly fixture at home against Serbia on Friday.
Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica will play host to this friendly fixture between Spain and Serbia on Friday night in the final international break of the season. Luis de la Fuente will look to have one final look at a few of his players before he finalises the squad for the World Cup.
Spain were a force to reckon with during the qualification phase as they accumulated 16 points in their six matches and finished top of their group to secure a spot in this summer’s finals.
La Roja will square up against Serbia and Egypt in the two friendlies this month as they gear up for the main event, where they will begin their campaign with a game against Cape Verde on June 15. They have been unbeaten in their last six games in all competitions, winning five of those fixtures.
De la Fuente’s men are certainly favourites here, but the focus won’t be on just winning; he will look to try out a few players and finalise his combinations. Meanwhile, Serbia will be playing for pride here. They will look to take down one of the favourites for the upcoming global event.
The visitors have not qualified for the global event as they could only manage a third-place finish in Group K behind England and Albania. They won’t be playing any competitive football until the end of September, which means Veljko Paunovic has enough time to have a great look at quite a few of his players.
Serbia have won three and lost three out of their last six games in all competitions. While they are obviously underdogs, they will still look to put up a strong fight here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at both teams and tries to predict the tactics they could put to use.
Team News & Tactics
Spain
The home team are without the services of Fabian Ruiz, Mikel Merino, Pablo Barrios, Gavi, Alvaro Morata and Nico Williams for this round of fixtures. Quite a few of them are expected to be back in time to feature in the World Cup squad.
For now, Luis de la Fuente will look to start with the strongest possible playing XI. He will stick to the 4-3-3 formation, where Unai Simon will be in goal. Marcos Llorente and Marc Cucurella will feature as the full-backs, while Aymeric Laporte will partner with Dean Huijsen in the heart of the defence. The back four will be eyeing a clean sheet.
As for the midfield unit, Rodri will take up the holding role, while Pedri and Martin Zubimendi will feature in his support in the centre of the park. The trio will look to control the tempo and ensure they dominate the ball.
Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal will feature on the flanks, providing much-needed width to their attack. Finally, Ferran Torres is expected to lead the line for Spain against Serbia on Friday night.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Simon; Llorente, Laporte, Huijsen, Cucurella; Rodri, Zubimendi, Pedri; Yamal, Ferran Torres, Oyarzabal
Serbia
Serbia have the majority of their stars available for this round of friendly fixtures. Veljko Paunovic is likely to go ahead with the 4-3-1-2 formation against Spain, and Predrag Rajkovic could take charge in goal.
Strahinja Pavlovic and Aleksa Terzic are expected to be the full-backs for the visitors, while Nikola Milenkovic will pair up with Strahinja Erakovic in the heart of the defence. The back four will certainly have a long day at the office against a star-studded Spain attack.
As for the midfield unit, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic will be the one calling the shots in the centre of the park. He will receive significant support from Nemanja Gudelj and Sasa Lukic. While they are unlikely to have the majority of the ball, the trio will certainly look to create chances to hit Spain on the break.
Veteran striker Aleksandar Mitrovic will spearhead Serbia’s attack against Spain alongside Luka Jovic on Friday. Meanwhile, Filip Kostic will take up the number ten role behind the duo.
Probable Serbia Lineup (4-3-1-2): Rajkovic; Pavlovic, Milenkovic, Erakovic, Terzic; Gudelj, Milinkovic-Savic, Lukic; Kostic; Mitrovic, Jovic
Key Stats
- Spain have been unbeaten in their last six games, winning five of those fixtures.
- Meanwhile, Serbia have won three and lost three out of their last six games.
- In the last meeting between the two teams back in October 2024, Spain secured a comfortable 3-0 win.
- While Serbia have not defeated La Roja in any of the three meetings between the two teams, they did secure a 0-0 draw in September 2024.
- Since winning the World Cup in 2010, Spain have not gone past the round of 16 in the global event.
Player to Watch
Ferran Torres
The 26-year-old might not be a regular starter for Barcelona, but he certainly has a very important role in the team under Hansi Flick. In the ongoing campaign, he has been involved in 40 matches and has racked up 2,199 minutes.
The Spaniard has 16 goals and an assist to his name. While those are great numbers, he has been a bit inconsistent in big games and will have to make the most of these opportunities to ensure he has a decent role in the World Cup. Torres has 23 goals in his 53 caps, and he will be eager to add to it against Serbia and Egypt.
Prediction
Spain 4-1 Serbia
Spain will head into this friendly as clear favourites, given their superior quality and impressive form in recent outings. Luis de la Fuente’s men are expected to dominate possession and dictate the tempo, while also using this opportunity to fine-tune their combinations ahead of the World Cup.
Serbia, on the other hand, have enough quality in attack to trouble the hosts, especially on the counter with the likes of Mitrovic and Jovic. However, given Spain’s control in midfield and overall depth, it is difficult to see the visitors keeping them at bay for long. If La Roja are clinical in the final third, they should be able to secure a comfortable win. The Hard Tackle predicts a 4-1 win for the home team.
