Madrid, Oct 6 (IANS) Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has made three changes in the 23-man squad for the Euro 2016 qualifying games against Luxembourg and Ukraine.
Del Bosque named the squad last Friday but injuries to Real Sociedad defender Inigo Martinez, Villarreal midfielder Bruno Soriano and Real Madrid right back Dani Carvajal over the weekend forced him to alter his original plans, reports Xinhua.
He has handed a recall to Athletic Club Bilbao midfielder Mikel San Jose while handing first ever call-ups to San Jose’s clubmate Xavi Etxeita and Villarreal right back Mario Gaspar.
Spain play Luxembourg, in what should be a relatively straightforward game against a much weaker rival in Logrono on Friday night, before travelling to Ukraine on Monday.
The Spanish currently top their qualifying group with seven wins and just one defeat from their eight matches and a win on Friday will assure their presence in France to defend the European title they won in 2012.