Mikel Merino has insisted that Spain will remain a strong and “recognisable team” in their World Cup qualifier against Georgia despite the absence of key attackers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams.

Yamal, who registered three assists in his last two international appearances, and Williams were both left out of Luis de la Fuente’s squad due to injury concerns.

Spain opened their qualifying campaign in dominant fashion with a 3-0 win over Bulgaria followed by a 6-0 demolition of Turkey. The reigning European champions have now kept six consecutive clean sheets in World Cup qualifiers — their longest streak in the competition since records began in 2010.

Merino, who scored a hat-trick in the victory over Turkey, believes the depth in the squad will be enough to maintain momentum.

“You can win games from the bench. Matches are decided in the final minutes, and you have to do well no matter what your role is,” said Merino.
“We are taught to think about the group. We have players with a lot of resources and very good one-on-one ability. We will see a recognisable team.”

Injury Concerns for Dani Olmo

Head coach Luis de la Fuente also revealed that Dani Olmo is a fitness concern after feeling discomfort in training.

“He trained for 15 minutes and wasn’t feeling comfortable. They’ve run some tests on him, but everyone else is in perfect condition,” De la Fuente said.

The coach expressed frustration over continuous injury setbacks but affirmed that Spain will go all out in the upcoming fixture.

“We’re playing for World Cup qualification, we have to win these matches. Georgia is an opponent with very good players — we have to give our all.”