Spain have won four of their last five at this tournament, conceding little and controlling games through midfield. Belgium arrive having won three on the spin, but they do so without four players who featured in their previous squad plans, including two from their last starting XI. The selection puzzle for Domenico Tedesco is the most pressing story heading into this quarter-final.
Spain v Belgium
The key question is whether Tedesco can reorganise Belgium's defensive and midfield structure convincingly enough to contain Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, and Álex Baena in a 4-2-3-1 that was already stretched against the USA.
Spain (4-2-3-1)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | Unai Simón |
| RB | Pedro Porro |
| CB | Pau Cubarsí Paredes |
| CB | Aymeric Laporte |
| LB | Marc Cucurella |
| DM | Rodri |
| DM | Pedri |
| RAM | Lamine Yamal |
| CAM | Dani Olmo |
| LAM | Álex Baena |
| ST | Mikel Oyarzabal |
Spain carry no injury concerns, so we expect Luis de la Fuente to name an unchanged XI from the side that eliminated Portugal. The 4-2-3-1 has been Spain's settled shape throughout, with Rodri and Pedri operating as the double pivot and Lamine Yamal providing the primary creative threat from the right. Mikel Oyarzabal leads the line and has been the focal point in the final third. There is no compelling reason to rotate, and with a World Cup semi-final at stake, de la Fuente will not experiment.
Belgium (4-2-3-1)
| Pos | Player |
|---|---|
| GK | T. Courtois |
| RB | T. Castagne |
| CB | B. Mechele |
| CB | A. Theate |
| LB | M. De Cuyper |
| DM | Y. Tielemans |
| DM | K. De Bruyne |
| RAM | L. Trossard |
| CAM | C. De Ketelaere |
| LAM | D. Lukebakio |
| ST | R. Lukaku |
Belgium's injury list forces two meaningful changes from the XI that beat the USA. Ngoyo and Onana are both ruled out, so we bring in Arthur Theate at centre-back alongside Brandon Mechele, and Kevin De Bruyne slots into the double pivot alongside Yannick Tielemans. De Bruyne's presence transforms Belgium's creative capacity, and his partnership with Tielemans gives them solidity and range. Up front, Romelu Lukaku comes in as the central striker, a shift that gives Belgium a physical focal point they lacked against the USA. Trossard, De Ketelaere, and Lukebakio maintain the attacking width and movement behind him. The absence of Doku on the left is the one gap Belgium cannot fully cover, and Lukebakio will need to be exceptional in that role.
The biggest selection doubt for Belgium is whether Tedesco trusts Theate to cope with the pace and movement of Spain's attacking trio on his first start in the knockout rounds, or whether he reshuffles further with Thomas Meunier or Kevin De Winter, though we expect Theate to get the nod given his physicality and aerial ability.
This article was researched and drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team.