Spain lock horns with Costa Rica at Al Thumama Stadium on Wednesday afternoon and James Ducker of the Telegraph has revealed that Aymeric Laporte is in line to start their World Cup opener.
The 28-year-old, who has made 16 appearances for Spain, only made his debut in 2021 due to stiff competition for places – Laporte had Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos keeping him out of the starting eleven in the past.
But after Ramos was left out of La Furia Roja’s World Cup squad, Laporte will now be given his chance to impress. The left-footed centre-back hasn’t made a competitive appearance on the international stage for 12 months due to injury, so he might be a little rusty.
Laporte’s only outings for Spain since November 2021 have been international friendlies – 5-0 win over Iceland on March 29 and a 3-1 win over Jordan on November 17.
The 28-year-old was a regular during Euro 2020 and is deemed first-choice at centre-back out of Eric Garcia, Pau Torres and Hugo Guillamon in the squad, so he has the faith from Luis Enrique. And after starting three of Manchester City’s last four Premier League games before the World Cup, Laporte should be match fit.
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