The Spanish team faces Turquia this Tuesday (18), at 4:45 pm (Brasília time) — 8:45 pm local time in Sevilha —, in the Estádio Olímpico of La Cartuja, for the sixth round of the European qualifiers for the Copa of the 2026 Mundo. The Pedri midfielder was recalled due to a muscle injury in his thigh, a recurring problem that kept him out of recent games for the Barcelona. The game is broadcast live on ESPN and Disney+ on Brasília0.
Luis de la Fuente leads Espanha, leader of Grupo E with 15 points from five victories. Turquia, with 12 points, needs an elastic score to overtake its rival and guarantee a direct place to Mundial. The game marks the farewell to the group stage.
Pedri’s injury occurred during training at the Catalan club. Ele had already lost previous matches in the qualifiers due to similar overload.
- Pedri, 22, played in three group games and provided two assists
- Embezzlement adds to Rodri, Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams
- Federation confirmed the drop on Monday (17)
Reasons for cutting Pedri
Barcelona informed Real Federação Espanhola of Futebol about the injury on day 16. Exames revealed grade one fibrillar rupture in the left thigh.
De la Fuente regretted his absence at the press conference. Pedri was an option in midfield alongside Zubimendi and Merino.
The entity prioritized the player’s recovery for the club’s season. Ele is expected to return in December, after medical evaluations.
Espanha lineup confirmed
Luis de la Fuente played in a 4-3-3 formation, with Unai Simón in goal. The defense has Pedro Porro, Daniel Vivian, Aymeric Laporte and Alejandro Grimaldo.
Martin Zubimendi, Fabián Ruiz and Mikel Merino form the midfield. The attack has Ferran Torres, Dani Olmo and Mikel Oyarzabal.
Reservations include Álex Remiro, Pau Cubarsí and Yeremy Pino. Espanha maintains a balance of +19 goals and zero conceded in the qualifiers.
Turquia Lineup
Vincenzo Montella adopted the 4-2-3-1. Uğurcan Çakır is the starting goalkeeper, with a defense formed by Mert Müldür, Merih Demiral, Abdülkerim Bardakçı and Ferdi Kadıoğlu.
Salih Özcan and Orkun Kökçü in the middle. Arda Güler, Oğuz Aydın and Kenan Yıldız support Kerem Aktürkoğlu in attack.
Turquia won four of the five games, with 14 goals scored. The main Desfalque is Hakan Çalhanoğlu, injured in his last match.
Broadcast and arbitration
The game starts at 4:45 pm (Brasília) and 8:45 pm (local). Cobertura starts 15 minutes earlier on channels.
- ESPN: broadcast on closed TV with narration in Portuguese
- Disney+: exclusive streaming at no additional cost for subscribers
- Referee: Felix Zwayer (Germany), average of 4.59 cards per match
Estádio Olímpico of La Cartuja receives 57 thousand fans. Espanha seeks to close the group with 100% success.
In the previous clash in September, Espanha won 6-0, with Pedri scoring two goals. Turquia depends on winning by seven goals for leadership.
