Chattanooga, USA: Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal is set to make his World Cup debut for Spain on 16 June against Cape Verde, with coach Luis de la Fuente planning to use him for between 15 and 20 minutes. The teenager has been recovering from a left hamstring injury and trained normally on Tuesday at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, where the Spanish squad is based.
De la Fuente's plan is to bring Yamal back into match rhythm gradually. The Spanish Football Federation has said the player's progress is on track, and the limited minutes are intended to support his recovery while easing him back into competition.
After the Cape Verde match, Yamal is expected to play at least 30 minutes in Spain's second group stage game against Saudi Arabia on 21 June. Spain's decisive group match for first place will be against Uruguay on 26 June in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Similar plans are in place for other players, including Nico Williams. Víctor Muñoz, an Osasuna player, is expected to have a more secondary role and come on as a substitute during the tournament in North America.
De la Fuente is also shaping Spain's starting XI for the Cape Verde game. The most likely line-up would mirror the team that faced Peru, with the only possible change being Dani Olmo for Baena. Olmo, from Terrassa, has arrived at camp in strong form, while Baena has recently taken Nico Williams' place on the left wing and appears to have the edge.
In goal, Unai Simón is confirmed as the starter, with David Raya and Joan Garcia as back-ups. The defence is expected to feature Marcos Llorente, Cubarsí, Laporte and Cucurella, while Rodri, Fabián and Pedri are likely to start in midfield. In attack, Ferran Torres is set to play on the right and Oyarzabal through the middle. The Real Sociedad forward has scored six goals in his last six matches for Spain, and has 13 goals and six assists in his last 11 appearances. He now has 25 international goals, placing him among Spain's top ten all-time scorers, one behind Emilio Butragueño and two behind Fernando Morientes.
Spain will continue preparing in Chattanooga before travelling for the group stage matches. For more Catalonia football coverage, see our news tag page.