“The Netherlands are a great team and will be very difficult”

Spain now knows the path it will have to walk to defend our UEFA Nations League title. The draw, held this Friday in Nyon, has paired the national team against the Netherlands in the quarter-finals, a two-leg tie scheduled to take place between 20th and 23rd March. Spain will benefit from playing the second leg at home after topping their group.

Luis de la Fuente, Spain’s head coach, highlighted the strength of the Netherlands, currently ranked ninth in the FIFA rankings and semi-finalists in the recent European Championships. “All the teams (in the draw) are very tough opponents. The Netherlands is a team we haven’t faced in quite some time. They have great players and are a strong team that had an excellent Euros, reaching the semi-finals. It will be a very difficult tie.”

The first leg will be played on Dutch soil, with the return leg on Spanish territory, a factor that could prove advantageous. “Above all, because of the emotional impact such a match can have,” De la Fuente emphasised. “Playing at home gives you the chance to resolve or fix any setbacks from the first leg. It’s important to play in front of your home crowd, especially with the incredible atmosphere we’ve been enjoying in Spain recently. The fans always give us their full backing. There’s a strong bond between the supporters and the team, which is great news.”

Between now and March, there will be time to study the opposition as well as assess the our squad, as more players continue to emerge and push the team on even further. “The scouting process is ongoing. We must pay close attention to all players as new players are coming through all the time and some of them can play an important role in this period. We’ll welcome them with open arms. There’s still a lot of time, but everything moves very quickly, so we need to stay vigilant and make the right decisions,” said the coach from La Rioja.

Spain aims to become the first team to successfully defend this title, their next goal to continue moving on the right track. “We want to go as far as possible, and we are very excited about the possibility of retaining this title. It’s a very prestigious and difficult trophy to win. It would be the first time in history that anyone has successfully defended a title of this calibre, and we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.”