On June 15 at 3:00 a.m., Spain faces Sweden in the first round of the Group E group stage of the UEFA Europa League at the Olympic Stadium in Seville. The two teams have met 14 times in history, Spain has 6 wins, 5 draws and 3 losses a slight advantage.
Spain, as the favorites to win the title, had a smooth performance in the qualifying stage and easily advanced with an undefeated record of 8 wins and 2 draws. In the same group with Sweden, Spain won 3-0 at home and 1-1 on the road, taking a total of 4 points. However, Enrique's choice of roster sparked controversy, bringing in only 24 players and not calling up Real Madrid players, which was questioned for selfishness.
More worryingly, Busquets and Diego Llorente tested positive for the new coronavirus, forcing Spain to cancel pre-match warm-ups and quarantine the entire team. The FA urgently assembled a 17-man back-up list, but there were no Real Madrid players. Diego Llorente has turned negative and Professor Busquets remains positive, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri expected to replace him.
Sweden are also plagued by a new crown virus, with Kulusevski and Swanberg diagnosed and out of the tournament. The Swedish Football Association has called up six players on an emergency basis, with the National Youth Team currently in charge of training. The Swedish team has a serious talent drain, and Kulusevski's role has no one to replace him.
Sweden has a steady record in world championships, participating in six consecutive Eurocups, with the best result being the quarterfinals in 1992. The team is experienced with 10 players who participated in the last Euro. Two players from the Super League, Svensson and Danielsson, are expected to start.
Key players
La Porte (French town)
Laporte made Enrique's 24-man squad and made his debut in the warm-ups after changing his Spanish citizenship after failing to get a call-up to the French national team. His naturalization could allow Enrique to drop Ramos at the heart of the back four.
Isaac
Isak, 21, has been in excellent form for Real Sociedad, scoring 17 goals in 34 La Liga games and helping his teammates score twice to help the team win the Copa del Rey. Kulusevski infected the new crown, Isak became the key point of attack in Sweden.
Key data
Spain has participated in seven consecutive European Cups and is tied with Germany as the most successful team, winning three times each. Spain topped all teams in the qualifying phase in terms of shots on goal, ball possession and pass success rate.
Sweden has only won 1, drawn 1, and lost 6 of its last 8 Eurocup proper matches, and its last group appearance was in 2004. Prior to the match, two players from each team were diagnosed with new crowns.
