Nine years after they won their third consecutive major tournament at Euro 2012, Spain are in the middle of something of a rebuild and come into EURO 2020 ranked sixth in the FIFA World Rankings.
And with captain and stalwart Sergio Ramos left at home due to injury, there are question marks across the pitch on their starting XI.
In Group E, Luis Enrique’s men will face Sweden, Poland and Slovakia, making them favourites to come out top and has them tipped by potential dark horses to win the competition.
In partnership with UEFA, we continue our series of EURO 2020 articles by examining Spain in detail to see if any of their players can compete for a place in your Fantasy teams.
All prices given are from the official UEFA EURO 2020 Fantasy game – but we have an extra section on FanTeam price differences towards the end of the article.
ROAD TO QUALIFICATION
SPAIN’S EURO 2020 QUALIFICATION RECORD
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Clean sheets |
| 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 31 | 5 | 5 |
Spain topped Group F in qualification. They were unbeaten with eight wins and two draws in a group containing fellow finals Group E side Sweden as well as Norway, Romania, Faroe Islands and Malta.
In fact, La Roja‘s only loss since qualification began was a 1-0 loss to Ukraine in the Nations League. Despite that, Spain still topped their group, with three wins, two draws and that loss putting them ahead of Germany, Switzerland and Ukraine.
Their 31 goals in qualifying was the fourth highest of any team (behind Belgium, Italy and England). Similarly, their five goals conceded was the joint-fifth highest, with Poland.
They’ve almost exclusively lined up in an attacking 4-3-3. Like all recent Spain sides, they focus on patient passing play on the ball, but have adopted a ruthless press to regain the ball, suffocating sides with an ‘attack is the best form of defence mentality’.
Enrique rotated heavily throughout qualification, with Jesus Navas’ seven games the most a single player played although he has not made the squad for EURO 2020.
SPAIN’S MATCHES IN 2020 AND 2021
| Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals for | Goals against | Clean sheets |
| 12 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 20 | 7 | 5 |
The highlight of their Nations League campaign was undoubtedly the 6-0 win over Germany. Ruthlessly exploiting the disorganised German high line, Ferran Torres (€8.0m) scored a hat-trick, alongside Alvaro Morata (€9.0m), Rodri (€5.0m), and substitute Mikel Oyarzabal (€7.5m).
However, their recent World Cup qualifiers were less positive. A 1-1 draw with Greece was followed by a last-minute 2-1 win over Georgia and a 3-1 win over Kosovo. They struggled to break down low blocks with their passing, the same issue they faced in the Nations League loss to Ukraine. So, against sides like Poland and Sweden, who may well sit deep and try and break on the counter, they could struggle to score loads of goals, but should still have the quality to top their group.
- Most starts: Sergio Ramos (9), Kepa Arrizbalaga (6), Alvaro Morata, Jesus Navas, Rodri (all 5)
- Most goals: Alvaro Morata, Rodrigo Moreno, Sergio Ramos (all 4), Paco Alcácer (3), Jesus Navas, Mikel Oyarzabal (both 2)
- Most assists: Thiago Alcántara (4), Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, José Gayá (2).
- Goals scored: 31
- Goals conceded: 5
- Clean sheets: 5
KEY TARGETS
Torres has recently become Spain’s offensive talisman. Including his hat-trick against Germany, he’s got six goals in 10 international caps, despite only starting seven of those matches. The Manchester City midfielder has made the right wing spot his own and also scored in both the recent wins against Georgia and Kosovo while Fantasy managers watched him score an impressive hat-trick against Newcastle towards the end of 2020/21.
For his price, with Spain’s relatively easy group, Torres may find himself quickly catapulted from Manchester City’s second string to true international stardom.
On Spain’s left-wing, RB Leipzig’s Dani Olmo (€7.0m) is a cheaper alternative to Torres. He’s not as good an option – but both players scored in the wins over Kosovo and Georgia.
Olmo is more creative as Torres, but not as much of a natural goalscorer. For his price, with the lack of cheap midfielders in the game, he is still a solid option.
Despite all the change throughout Spain’s squad, Jordi Alba (€6.5m) has still managed to hold on to the left-back spot. Alba has an incredible five assists in his last five competitive games for Spain. Perhaps their key creative asset and part of a very solid defence, despite his high price, Alba may well be worth the investment.
Up-front, Morata seems to have secured a starting berth. Despite an error-strewn performance against Portugal, Morata is Enrique’s trusted man up front and should be a great option with the number of chances this Spain side will create. Their joint-top scorer in qualifying with four goals, Morata is a nice mid-priced forward.
LONG SHOTS
For a cheaper route into the defence, Pau Torres (€4.5m) looks set to start at centre-back. One of the cheapest defenders in the game, the Villarreal man is a key piece in a solid defence who may well allow you to free up funds elsewhere.
In goal, Unai Simon (€5.0m) has now started the last 10 games for Luis Enrique’s side. The Bilbao keeper oversees a very solid defence and presents incredible value in goal given Spain’s easy group and great defensive record.
FanTeam Price Corner
Spain’s players are slightly more expensive in FanTeam than in the official UEFA Euro Fantasy game.
Morata (€10.0m), Torres (€9.0m) and Olmo (€8.0m) all cost 1m more in FanTeam, with the same going for Unai Simon (€6m) in goal.
Alba costs the same at (€6.5m), with Pau Torres a much more expensive (€6.0m).
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