Spain pick Diego Costa among Premier League stars for friendly vs. England

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Chelsea's Diego Costa is one of seven
Premier League-based players to have been
named in the Spain squad for next week's
friendlies against England and Belgium.
There were no new faces in the 24-man
selection for the games against England in
Alicante on Friday Nov. 13 and in Belgium
the following Tuesday, but recently injured
players including Real Madrid captain Sergio
Ramos and Barcelona skipper Andres Iniesta
were both included even with Nov. 21's
Clasico looming.
Other notable inclusions include fit-again
Bayern Munich playmaker Thiago Alcantara
and Celta Vigo's in-form winger Nolito, while
Manchester City midfielder David Silva is out
injured.
Brazil-born Costa has scored just once in
nine caps, against Luxembourg, and has
barely played for his adopted country over
the last 12 months amid a series of injury
problems and apparent misunderstandings
between the national team and his club.

The coach of La Roja told reporters that he
was aware that Costa might not be 100
percent fit at the moment, but still expected
him to join up with the squad next week.
"[Costa] is fine, he is playing well, starting for
his team," Del Bosque said. "He has had
some physical problems, I think with his rib,
but it seems it is not too important, and he
can come with us."
The last tickets for the England game at
Hercules' 30,000 capacity Estadio Jose Rico
Perez were quickly sold this week. The
Spanish FA (RFEF) says that 10,000 English
fans are expected in the city of Alicante to
take in the atmosphere and attend the
match.
Del Bosque said he expected a real test in
both the upcoming games, while saying he
rated England among the likely contenders
for next summer's Euro 2016 tournament in
France.
He said: "These are two of the top teams in
the world. England are an extraordinary
team, they qualified really well, with full
points, they have quick players in attack, are
powerful in midfield and strong in defence.
They will be a candidate for the Euros, if
everything comes together they have
extraordinary potential. Belgium are a very
strong team, growing bit by bit and now
number one in the FIFA rankings. That is not
by chance, but because they have an
excellent group of players.
"I expect that we all know these are very
important games, to be together these days
and work on things. We must be very
competitive, we must play with maximum
intensity, both opponents are very strong
teams."
Although Ramos missed Spain's last games
with a shoulder problem, he has since
featured in his club's bigger games after
taking a pain-killing injection, and Del
Bosque said he saw no reason why the
defender would not be available for both next
week's games.
"Ramos is playing, he played the other day
[against Paris Saint Germain in the
Champions League], that is last news we
have, and we are counting on him coming,"
he said. "If he cannot play both games, we
will take a decision. But we think the players
called up are ready to play all the minutes."
Del Bosque said the door was not closed for
players who have played for Spain before, but
not been called up recently, such as
Manchester City winger Jesus Navas and
Sevilla attacker Vitolo.
"We have a list of 23 or 24 players, but
nobody is outside or marginalised," he said.
"Jesus Navas is a player we appreciate a lot.
We have the group from Brazil, and have
made some changes, adding some players
and keeping things competitive."
Full squad
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Porto), David De
Gea (Manchester United), Sergio Rico
(Sevilla)
Defenders: Juanfran (Atletico), Mario Gaspar
(Villarreal), Gerard Pique (Barcelona), Sergio
Ramos (Real Madrid), Marc Bartra
(Barcelona), Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea),
Jordi Alba (Barcelona)
Midfielders: Koke (Atletico), Mikel San Jose
(Athletic Bilbao), Sergio Busquets
(Barcelona), Juan Mata (Manchester United),
Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea), Santi Cazorla
(Arsenal), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Isco
(Real Madrid), Thiago Alcantara (Bayern
Munich)
Forwards: Pedro (Chelsea), Nolito (Celta
Vigo), Alvaro Morata (Juventus), Paco
Alcacer (Valencia), Diego Costa (Chelsea)

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