Every cloud has a silver lining. Or resquicio de esperanza, for the sake of this story.
Injuries to Dani Carvajal, Alvaro Morata and Andres Iniesta mean Spain are without three players that would likely have started against Albania and Israel.
But their collective absence mean an opening for three more players who would otherwise have been watching at home like the rest of us.
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Artiz Aduriz, who was capped ten times by Spain last year following his Benjamin Button revival well past the age of 30, will be back on familiar turf.
But both Alvaro Odriozola and Jonathan Viera have both been called up by La Roja for the first time.
Bienvenido.
Odriozola graduated through Real Sociedad’s academy before making his debut in January 2017.
Only nine months later the 21-year-old, who has 22 La Liga appearances to his name, is part of the senior squad.
The right-back does have some international experience, having been included in Spain’s squad for the Under-21 European Championships in the summer.
Las Palmas’ 27-year-old winger Jonathan Viera has had a longer journey to the international scene, working his way up from the third tier of Spanish football.
A move to Valencia didn’t work out so Viera returned to Las Palmas in 2015, following spells at Rayo Vallecano and Standard Liege.
His only previous international experience came in the shape of a solitary Under-21 cap in 2011.
Just the small matter of Isco, Koke, Thiago, Marco Asensio and David Silva to get past now.
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