Madrid (Spain), Oct 13 Spain can all but ensure their place at next summer's FIFA World Cup with a win against Bulgaria on Tuesday, although coach Luis de la Fuente has lost another player to injury.
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) reported that forward Ferran Torres has left the squad with "problems that were evaluated by the RFEF medical services with tests showing a muscle strain but without any anatomical injury."
"Ferran Torres has been dropped against Bulgaria the fourth qualifying match for the 2026 World Cup in Valladolid. The FC Barcelona striker, after completing the match against Georgia in Elche, reported muscle discomfort that was evaluated by the medical services of the RFEF including the performance of complementary tests, diagnosing a muscle overload without associated anatomical injury," it said in a statement.
Ferran is the latest player to drop out of the squad after Real Madrid defender Dean Huijsen left with muscle fatigue and Dani Olmo with a calf injury, while Lamine Yamal and Rodri were also forced out with problems shortly after De la Fuente named his squad, reports Xinhua.
Despite those problems, Spain cruised past Georgia on Saturday with players like Yeremy Pino, Pablo Barrios and Alex Baena showing the wealth of talent the coach has at his disposal.
Saturday's win leaves Spain with three wins from three World Cup qualifying games and a three-point lead over Turkiye, whom they beat 6-0 away in September.
Bulgaria sit at the bottom with three defeats and 12 goals conceded - including a 3-0 home defeat to Spain - and were thrashed 6-1 at home by Turkey on Saturday.
One of De la Fuente's main issues going into the game is pressure from clubs, especially Barcelona, which has seen Yamal, Ferran and Olmo pick up injuries on international duty, and the coach will probably carry out some squad rotation with players such as Baena and defender Aymeric Laporte coming into the starting 11.
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