UEFA Nations League 2026/27 โ League A, Group A3
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29 September 2026
๐๏ธ Spain vs Croatia
Spain ๐ช๐ธ host Croatia ๐ญ๐ท in one of the standout fixtures of Matchday 2 in the UEFA Nations League.
Both teams started the campaign with victories. Spain defeated England 3โ2 at Wembley, while Croatia came from behind to beat Czechia 2โ1. That leaves both sides level on three points at the top of Group A3.
๐ช๐ธ Spain: Momentum After Wembley Victory
Spain arrive with plenty of confidence after an entertaining 3โ2 victory over England.
Lamine Yamal, รlex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal were on the scoresheet as Spain recovered from England taking the lead. Oyarzabal’s 74th-minute goal ultimately proved decisive. Reuters
Lamine Yamal was particularly influential. According to SofaScore’s Matchday 1 analysis, he recorded seven shots, four key passes and 1.14 expected goals against England. Sofascore
โ ๏ธ Spain Team News
Spain will have to make a defensive adjustment after Eric Garcรญa suffered a knee injury during the warm-up against England.
The Spanish Football Federation subsequently called up Robin Le Normand as his replacement. Reuters
Spain’s squad still contains considerable attacking and midfield quality, including Yamal, Pedri, Rodri, Dani Olmo and รlex Baena. UEFA’s official squad list confirms the players available for the Croatia match. UEFA.com
๐ญ๐ท Croatia: Modriฤ Still Leading the Way
Croatia also made a winning start, defeating Czechia 2โ1.
The experienced Luka Modriฤ scored in that match and remains one of Croatia’s most important players. UEFA continues to highlight the 40-year-old midfielder as a key figure for Croatia. UEFA.com
Modriฤ’s ability to control the tempo could be particularly important against Spain’s possession-based approach.
Croatia are also beginning a new chapter under Slaven Biliฤ, who has returned for a second spell as national-team head coach. UEFA.com
๐ฅ Spain vs Croatia: A Familiar Rivalry
This isn’t the first major Nations League meeting between these two countries.
Spain and Croatia previously met in the 2023 UEFA Nations League final, with Spain winning on penalties after a goalless draw. UEFA.com
They also faced each other at Euro 2024, when Spain won 3โ0.
However, Croatia’s current team has plenty of experience and has already demonstrated its ability to compete against strong opposition by beating Czechia in the opening round.
๐ Key Battle
Spain’s attack vs Croatia’s midfield
Spain are likely to try to dominate possession and use their technical players to create openings.
Croatia, meanwhile, will look to use their experienced midfield to slow the game down and find opportunities when Spain lose possession.
The battle between Lamine Yamal ๐ช๐ธ and Luka Modriฤ ๐ญ๐ท represents two very different generations of elite football โ one of Europe’s most exciting young attackers against one of Croatia’s greatest-ever midfielders.
โญ Dan King Match View
Spain enter the match with strong momentum after their Wembley victory, while Croatia have shown that they can compete effectively and arrive with three points already secured.
Spain’s attacking movement and technical quality will be a major test for Croatia, while Modriฤ and Croatia’s experienced midfield could make this a much more tactical contest than Spain’s previous match against England.
Key question:
๐ช๐ธ Can Spain maintain their winning momentum, or will ๐ญ๐ท Croatia’s experience produce another important result?
Match outlook: A high-quality Group A3 encounter between two teams that have already demonstrated winning form.