PRE MATCH | Europe begins in the Caucasus

Sometimes, the geographical boundaries of a continent mark the border of an aspiration. For Spain, this is glimpsed on a nine-month time horizon with a destination set for the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

There, in the heart of the old continent, the grand final of the European Championship will take place on July 14 next year. This Friday, it makes a stop at the foothills of the Caucasus with a demanding test against Georgia.

The National Team arrives in Tbilisi in a demanding position in Group A, but hopeful by collecting three points that would place them high in the standings with the possibility of seizing the lead in the next two matches.

Click here to listen to the statements of coach Luis de la Fuente and captain Rodrigo Hernández in the match preview.

The first step towards the top spot will be decided this Friday (6:00 PM, Spanish peninsula time, live on La1 with minute-by-minute coverage through this official medium) at the Boris Paichadze National Stadium, facing Willy Sagnol's compact squad.

The Georgian coach enjoys the best generation of footballers in the history of the Caucasus country, with notable individuals such as Napoli's goal-scoring winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, along with a group of young talents well-known to Luis de la Fuente.

Spain has defeated Georgia in the four previous qualification matches for the European Championship, although the Caucasians won the only friendly match between the two teams.

It was over eight years ago in Tbilisi where the Spanish coach began building a reputation adorned with titles in youth categories, earning a ticket to the U19 European Championship, which he later added to his list of achievements alongside the U21 title.

In 2015, the Rioja-born coach had a group of players in the Georgian capital, including Unai Simón, Mikel Merino, Marco Asensio, and Rodrigo Hernández, who are now among those expected to secure victory.

The German referee Daniel Siebert will officiate the match, assisted on the sidelines by his compatriots Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn.

To achieve this, they have the warnings from the two agonizing victories Spain obtained in previous European Championship qualifiers, thanks to a goal by Roberto Soldado (2012) and another by Dani Olmo in injury time a couple of years ago.

Now, with Daniel Siebert as the referee, the recent UEFA Nations League champions must once again roll up their sleeves in search of a new continental conquest: Europe awaits us.