Spain bench Pedri, Belgium make two changes for World Cup quarter-final

Spain made one change for Friday’s World Cup quarter-final against Belgium, dropping Pedri to the bench for Fabian Ruiz, while Rudi Garcia restored Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku in two changes.

Fabian joined Rodri and Dani Olmo in Luis de la Fuente's team’s midfield, with Pedri surprisingly left out after the win over Portugal.

Spain's attack is unchanged, with Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal starting.

De Bruyne replaced Amadou Onana, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against the United States. While Jeremy Doku has replaced Dodi Lukebakio.

Recent form

Spain defeated Portugal 1-0 in the Round of 16, while Belgium eased past the USA to reach the quarter-finals.

In the Round of 32, La Rojas hammered Austria 3-0, while the Red Devils edged Senegal 3-2 after recovering from a 2-0 lead in a thriller.

In the group stage, Spain were held to a goalless draw by World Cup debutants Cape Verde, but De la Fuente’s side recovered well, outclassing Saudi Arabia by 4-0 and edging Uruguay 1-0 to send them home.

Belgium drew 1-1 with Egypt and 0-0 with Iran before outclassing New Zealand 5-1 in the World Cup group stage.

Spain starting XI

Unai Simon; Pedro Porro, Pau Cubarsi, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Dani Olmo; Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena, Mikel Oyarzabal.

Belgium starting XI

Thibaut Courtois; Brandon Mechele, Maxim De Cuyper, Timothy Castagne, Nathan Ngoy; Kevin De Bruyne, Youri Tielemans, Nicolas Raski;, Leandro Trossard, Charles De Ketelaere, Jeremy Doku.