Departure for Paris

Spain midfielder Fabián Ruiz departed the national team's training camp in Oviedo on Saturday afternoon to travel to Paris for the birth of his first child. The 30-year-old Paris Saint-Germain player was officially ruled out of Saturday night's UEFA Nations League match against Czechia at the Carlos Tartiere stadium. The Royal Spanish Football Federation confirmed his sudden departure in a statement released shortly before the scheduled 20:45 kickoff in Asturias. Ruiz, who is a native of Seville, was granted permission by the Spanish coaching staff to leave the camp immediately so that he could be present in the French capital for the arrival of his son. His absence left Spain without one of its regular starting midfielders just hours before the opening whistle of the third match of the group phase.

“Fabián Ruiz leaves the training camp of the Spanish national team in Oviedo to attend the birth of his first child in Paris, so he will not be present in the match between Spain and Czechia at the Carlos Tartiere.”

Squad changes and injury list

The departure of Ruiz is the latest in a substantial list of roster changes for Spain manager Luis de la Fuente during the October international window. Spain had already lost attacker Ferran Torres, who left the national team camp after sustaining an ankle injury. Three other Spanish internationals, Nico Williams, Alejandro Grimaldo, and Eric Garcia, also had to leave the training camp due to physical discomfort reported during preparation sessions. Tottenham Hotspur fullback Pedro Porro was ruled out prior to the international window due to an injury and did not assemble with the squad. For the fixture against Czechia in Oviedo, De la Fuente also excluded defender Pau Cubarsí and forward Carlos Espí as his two matchday discards.

Nations League campaign and streak

Ruiz had served as a starter in both of Spain's previous matches during the current UEFA Nations League campaign. Spain opened the group stage with a 3-2 victory away against England and followed that result with a 4-1 win against Croatia. Those two consecutive victories established Spain at the top of its Nations League group heading into Saturday's fixture in Oviedo. Spain entered the contest holding an active streak of 40 consecutive international matches without a defeat across all competitions. The national team is competing in this tournament cycle holding both the European championship and the world championship titles.

Match schedule and uncertainty over Split

The encounter against Czechia in Oviedo is the third of four matches in Spain's opening stretch of the UEFA Nations League. The Spanish squad will travel to Croatia following the match at Carlos Tartiere to conclude this international break. That fixture against the Croatian national team will take place on Tuesday, 6 October, in the city of Split. The Royal Spanish Football Federation has not clarified whether Ruiz will fly from Paris to Croatia to rejoin his teammates for that match. His status for the trip to Split remains unresolved as the technical staff manages a heavily rotated squad.