Pedri has been dropped by Luis de la Fuente as Spain play Belgium in the World Cup 2026 quarter-finals today.
Nico Williams also returns to the squad on the bench, with the European champions have been missing their star left winger since the closing 1-0 win over Uruguay during the group stage, when he suffered a groin injury.
It has kept him out of Spain’s last two knockout matches, where they beat Austria 3-0 and Portugal 1-0, with Mikel Merino netting a late winner against their Iberian rivals to shatter Cristiano Ronaldo’s hopes of a last hurrah on the global stage.
As such, Alex Baena has slotted in on the left flank under de la Fuente, although Ferran Torres was introduced off the bench against Portugal and was lauded for his impact.
Williams was pictured in training ahead of Spain’s game against Portugal, although he did not feature at all in Dallas.
Crystal Palace forward Yeremy Pino is also a major concern after he injured his shoulder against Uruguay.
Otherwise, De La Fuente is at full strength, and he has kept his side relatively unchanged throughout the competition so far.
Unai Simon is his undisputed No1, despite Joan Garcia and David Raya also contending for the starting berth.
At right-back, Pedro Porro is the first choice with Marcos Llorente deputising, while Pau Cubarsi and Aymeric Laporte are his preferred pairing at centre-back. Former Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella completes the back four on the left.
Fabian has replaced Pedri alongside Rodri in the midfield double pivot, with Dani Olmo operating as the No10, Lamine Yamal off the right, and Baena on the left, supporting the false nine Mikel Oyarzabal.
Spain XI (4-2-3-1): Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal
Injured: Pino
Time and date: 8pm BST on Friday July 10, 2026
Venue: Los Angeles Stadium (SoFi Stadium)
How to watch: BBC One
