During his three-year tenure as the manager of the Spanish national team, Luis Enrique faced criticism for never fielding the same starting XI twice. However, his successor, Luis de la Fuente, seems to be following in his footsteps during his first international break with the team. Despite winning 3-0 against Norway in his debut match and having no injury concerns, de la Fuente plans to freshen up the squad against Scotland.
According to Relevo, Spain will replace both their full-backs, Dani Carvajal and Alejandro Balde, who are likely to be rested after their physical exertions against Norway. Pedro Porro and Jose Gaya will take their places. The central defence pairing of Nacho Fernandez and Aymeric Laporte is expected to continue, but Inigo Martinez may also get a chance to start.
In midfield, Mikel Merino will play alongside Rodri Hernandez, unless the latter is not fully fit, in which case Fabian Ruiz will replace him. The three players behind the striker may also be rotated. Dani Olmo will start on the bench as he is still returning from injury, and Dani Ceballos will replace Iago Aspas to provide better control of the game. Gavi may also be replaced as de la Fuente looks for more depth. Yeremy Pino and Nico Williams are likely to be the changes on the wings.
The biggest question is who will start up front, Joselu Mato or Alvaro Morata. Although Morata has just been named captain, Joselu has been having a better season and proved it by scoring a three-minute brace against Norway. If Scotland plays with a deeper defence, Joselu may make more sense as he has won the most aerial battles in La Liga and should be able to cause problems for a deeper defence.
