Defending champions Spain will look to guarantee their place at the European Championships in France next summer with a win over minnows Luxembourg on Friday. Vicente del Bosque's side are presently suffering from something of an injury crisis in defense, with Sergio Ramos, Dani Carvajal and Iñigo Martínez all unavailable. However, they should still be comfortable enough to see off the side currently sitting second-bottom of their qualification group.
Spain vs. Luxembourg live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch Euro 2016 qualifying
A win over Luxembourg on Friday would guarantee Spain’s place at Euro 2016.
Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images
The only win of Luxembourg's campaign came against Macedonia back in September. Prior to then they'd not won a single international fixture in two years. Suffice it to say, avoiding defeat against Spain would be one of the greatest achievements in their footballing history, though they certainly shouldn't be getting their hopes up. A dignified defeat seems like the best they can expect.
Key player: David Silva (Spain)
With Spain's traditional midfield creator Andrés Iniesta having been omitted from del Bosque's squad, the burden of carving out goalscoring chances will fall to Manchester City's David Silva. They'll be against what will surely be a deep, regimented defensive unit. Silva sparkled as City romped to the top of the Premier League after the first few games of the season, and Spain will be hoping he's on similar form here.
When they last met: Luxembourg 0-4 Spain, Oct. 12, 2014
When these sides met almost exactly a year ago, Spain romped to a comfortable victory. Though Luxembourg’s defense held out for almost a half-hour, David Silva broke the deadlock and the hosts’ hearts with the opening goal, before assisting Paco Alcácer’s second just before the interval. Two further goals followed in the second half, with Diego Costa and Juan Bernat both getting on the scoresheet.
Match Date/Time: Friday, 2:45 p.m. ET, 8:45 p.m. local
Venue: Estadio Nuevo Municipal Las Gaunas, Logroño, Spain
TV: ESPN2 (US - English), ESPN Deportes (US - Spanish), Sportsnet World (Canada), Sky Sports 2/HD (U.K.)
Online: Watch ESPN (US), Sportsnet World Online (Canada), Sky Go (U.K.)
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