Spain face another test in their relentless winning run this Tuesday. The world champions and current UEFA Nations League title holders host Croatia at Seville's Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium in matchday two of Group A3.

La Roja arrive off the back of an epic comeback in London, beating England 2-3 on September 26. That victory maintains their unbeaten streak at 39 consecutive games, an outright record for a European national team. In the Nations League competition, Luis de la Fuente's team has accumulated 7 points in the standings, from two wins and a draw, with a goal difference of plus three (8 goals for, 5 against).

The generational clash

The spotlight falls on the clash between two talents separated by 22 years. On one side, Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal, aged 19, who scored within two minutes against England and delivered a man-of-the-match performance. On the other, Croatian legend Luka Modric, aged 41, who scored the opener in his team's win over Czechia under Slaven Bilic. "Luka Modric… We can only be proud that we live in his era and have the privilege to watch him play," Bilic said.

Spain's coach, Luis de la Fuente, has praised his squad's spirit. "What this generation of footballers is achieving has great merit. They are constantly striving to improve," he explained. The manager is likely to field Unai Simón in goal, with a defence of Marc Pubill, Pau Cubarsí, Aymeric Laporte and Marc Cucurella. Rodri and Fabián Ruiz will anchor the midfield, while the attacking trident would be Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo and Nico Williams, with Ferran Torres as the focal point up front.

Absences and context

Spain have some squad issues. Goalkeeper Joan García is sidelined until early October with a knee injury, and Eric García withdrew from the squad after feeling discomfort during the warm-up before the England game, replaced by Robin Le Normand.

Croatia, meanwhile, arrive with significant absences. Martin Baturina and Josip Juranovic are out with illness, and Martin Erlic is injured. The visitors' probable lineup would be Dominik Livakovic; Josip Stanisic, Luka Vuskovic, Josko Gvardiol, Ivan Perisic; Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic; Luka Sucic, Petar Sucic, Franjo Ivanovic; and Igor Matanovic.

The head-to-head record favours Spain, who have won six of the eleven previous meetings, including a commanding 3-0 win in the Euro 2024 group stage with goals from Álvaro Morata, Fabián Ruiz and Dani Carvajal. Spain's recent form is flawless, with five wins in their last five matches, while Croatia have been more inconsistent (W-L-W-W-L). PSV Eindhoven forward Ivan Perisic arrives in confidence after registering two goals and an assist this season.

With top spot in the Nations League group at stake, Spain aim to consolidate their total dominance. The match, kicking off at 20:45 local time, is the next fixture on the national team's schedule. Top scorer this season Mikel Oyarzabal, with five goals, will be one of the offensive references in a Sánchez-Pizjuán eager to see its team move closer to retaining the continental title.

The original report is at Al Jazeera