Nations League draw: Spain to face Netherlands in quarter-finals

Spain have found out that they will face the Netherlands as their opponents in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Nations League. La Roja will play a home and away tie in March against the Dutch, before the winners of the quarter-finals go into the final four in June next summer.

Luis de la Fuente’s side will be up against Ronald Keoman’s for the first time in his spell in charge. La Roja have not faced die Oranje since 2020, when the pair drew 1-1 in a friendly match. Outside of that, they have only met four times in the last 15 years, with their last competitive meeting a 5-1 win for the Dutch at the 2014 World Cup, and the prior meeting a 1-0 victory for the Spanish in the 2010 final.

Spain secured five victories from six in their group with Denmark, Serbia and Switzerland, with the only blot on their copybook, a 0-0 draw to begin. Off the back of their Euro 2024 campaign, de la Fuente can boast 12 wins out of 13 through the year of 2024, despite missing a number of key players throughout, such as Pedri, Dani Carvajal and Rodri Hernandez. They will likely go into knockout stages as favourites to retain their 2023 title.