"It is not an impossible mission to beat Spain," Mateo Kovačić said ahead of Tuesday's Spain vs Croatia meeting in Seville. The Manchester City midfielder is not treating Spain's 39-game unbeaten run as a warning to sit deep. He is treating it as a challenge Croatia are willing to take on.

Kovacic's view of Spain

Kovačić's full comments carried the same message. "Spanish players are fantastic, but we are not afraid of anyone," he said, adding that Croatia want to take away Spain's most powerful weapon, the ball. He also pointed back to Spain's run, saying they have gone 39 games without losing, but that Croatia want to focus on their own game, fight and try to win.

That is a fair challenge to Spain's status right now. The world champions have won the last three competitive meetings and hold a 7-3 head-to-head advantage, while Croatia's last victory over Spain came in a Nations League match in 2018.

Spain still arrive with momentum of their own. They won their opening Nations League match, as did Croatia, and Kovačić's confidence is not coming from a side short on belief. He came into the fixture after a 7.2 Nations League rating in his last outing, while Lamine Yamal's 8.2 in the competition is one reason Spain still look so hard to live with.

Spain's changes under Luis de la Fuente

Luis de la Fuente said Spain will make some changes for the match at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán and that any of the 26 called-up players could start. He said the squad have another match in four days, which is why rotation is being considered, but he also insisted the structure stays intact and the level should not drop.

That points to a Spain side that may look a little different without looking weaker. Eric García's recovery was protected rather than rushed, and Fabián Ruiz has also been talking about the group in bigger terms, saying Spain are doing something "unique and historic". Those are the words of a camp that believes its run is still alive, not a team waiting to be caught.

Tuesday's game will settle whether Croatia can back up Kovačić's confidence against Spain's unbeaten streak, or whether the hosts move to 40 without defeat.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →