Spain forward Dani Olmo has been ruled out of the European champions’ upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Bulgaria, the Spanish football federation (RFEF) announced on Friday.
The Barcelona forward trained with the squad earlier in the day, hoping to be cleared for Saturday’s match with Georgia. However, subsequent tests confirmed he had sustained a muscle injury in his left leg.
The RFEF confirmed that Olmo will now return to Barcelona as the rest of Luis de la Fuente’s squad travels to Elche to continue their qualification bid.
World Cup Qualification Outlook
La Roja is aiming for back-to-back wins in this international window, which, combined with favorable results in Group E, could secure them a spot at next year’s finals in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Spain currently leads their qualifying group by three points over Georgia and Turkey. They opened their campaign impressively last month with a crushing 6-0 away win over Turkey and a 3-0 victory against Bulgaria.
Despite being tipped as title contenders for a second World Cup crown, Coach De la Fuente emphasized the need for focus:
“I’m not worried about anything. First, let’s qualify. And then we’ll think about it (winning the World Cup). We have to take the drama out of defeats and results. Being a champion is very difficult.”
Source: Super Sports
