Spain leave out Nico Williams and Aymeric Laporte for Czechia Nations League match

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente has left Nico Williams, Aymeric Laporte and goalkeeper Alvaro Valles out of his squad for Thursday evening’s Nations League meeting with Czechia in Prague.

The trio will not feature in the Group Stage match, according to Mundo Deportivo, as Spain aim to continue their unbeaten start to the competition. Valles missed Wednesday’s group training session after falling ill with influenza, while the coaching staff opted not to use Williams or Laporte for the fixture.

Williams and Laporte bring considerable international experience and were members of the Spain squad that won the 2026 World Cup. Valles, however, has been ruled out after his illness.

The announcement of the shirt numbers also attracted attention, with particular interest in who would take the number 10 shirt in the absence of Dani Olmo. The Barcelona midfielder has traditionally worn that number for Spain.

De la Fuente has given the shirt to Liverpool player Victor Munoz, handing him the opportunity to wear the number associated with Olmo during his international career. The decision gives Munoz an important chance to establish himself within the national team.

Spain have made a perfect start to their Nations League campaign, taking 12 points from four consecutive victories. That record has put them top of the group and secured their place in the quarter-finals with two matches still to play.

De la Fuente’s side have beaten England, Croatia and Czechia, before defeating Croatia again in the fourth round. Those results have underlined Spain’s strength among Europe’s leading international teams, with the squad benefiting from its cohesion and the experience developed under De la Fuente.

Despite already qualifying for the quarter-finals, Spain still have clear objectives against Czechia. They want to retain top spot in the group and complete the league phase strongly before facing England in their final match on Sunday.

That game will provide another demanding test before the knockout stages, while De la Fuente will expect his team to maintain their standards despite the absences. Spain have several alternatives available in the squad and will look to those players to cover for the unavailable trio.

Munoz, meanwhile, will hope his first appearance in the number 10 shirt can help him demonstrate his ability and strengthen his case for a greater role with the world champions.