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Picking a 23-man squad for the World Cup is a tricky situation for every national team manager.
The manager has a lot of options to choose from, which is regarded healthy before a world cup, although the process of elimination could leave a few players down in the dumps.
The competition for places in every position will create a headache for the manager, who will have to sort out the squad of 23, based on players club performances and value added to the national team squad for the upcoming tournament.
Julen Lopetegui will find it hard to pick his squad for the tournament and here we take look at five players who might not make the Spanish World Cup squad.
#5 David Villa
Spanish and New York City FC striker, David Villa is still going strong and keen to represent his club and country. The Spanish all-time record goalscorer won the MLS MVP award in 2016. The former World Cup winner scored 23 goals in 33 regular-season outings.
Villa was recently picked in the Spanish national squad and has an outside chance of getting a call-up, but it's a long-shot. The veteran striker will face an uphill battle to make the squad given the number of attacking options the manager has to select from.
The striker joined the American club from Atletico Madrid in 2014 and has spent three seasons in New York, with short loan stint at Melbourne FC in-between. Despite being in-form, the level of competition in the MLS could be a crucial factor in Villa not getting picked for the World Cup.
The striker is two short of reaching 100 caps for his national side. A veteran striker and a multiple time La Liga winning player, Villa has also won the 2010 WC and the Euro 2008 trophy with Spain.
#4 Marc Bartra
Spanish and Borussia Dortmund central defender, Marc Bartra is another high profile player who might not make the Spanish squad for the World Cup. With Nacho, Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique, Javi Martinez and Cezar Azpilicueta all ahead of the Dortmund defender in the pecking order, it will be a difficult bracket to break into.
Despite making 20 appearances so far this season, Bartra has not produced solid performances at the highest level and could miss out on a spot. The player began his career in 2010 with Barcelona and made over 50 appearances for the club during a six-year stint.
The defender then joined Borussia Dortmund in 2016 and succeeded in getting consistent game time. The player has been in and out of the national team setup but has failed to cement his place in the squad.
#3 Fernando Torres
Spanish and Atletico Madrid striker Fernando Torres is another veteran striker who could miss out on a place in the Spanish World Cup squad. The former World Cup and Euro winner, Torres has had a very successful career with Spain. The player has been capped 110 times for the Spanish team and is a highly experienced striker.
He began his career with Atletico Madrid in 2001 and was the club's youngest captain during his six-year stint at the club. He then moved to the Premier League and joined Liverpool with whom he spent four seasons before making a controversial switch to Chelsea in 2011. After four years at the Bridge, Torres returned to Atletico Madrid after a brief loan spell with AC Milan.
Julen Lopetegui has a number of attacking options to select in his squad as Alvaro Morata, Diego Costa, Artiz Aduriz, Vitolo, Jose Callejon are all ahead of the former Premier League striker. Although, Torres could be a surprise inclusion if he does manage to produce some good performances in the second half of the season.
#2 Juan Mata
Manchester United and Spanish attacking midfielder, Juan Mata has appeared in United's starting eleven on many occasions but has failed to cement his place. With just 3 goals and 3 assists to his name, Mata would have to do more in the second half of the campaign to impress Julen Lopetegui.
With a whole host of players like Iniesta, Silva, Saul, Thiago and Koke all in contention for a spot as an attacking midfielder, Mata could be left out of the World Cup. The former Valencia and Chelsea player is a vastly experienced creative attacker with the ability to score crucial goals
The 30-year-old midfielder has been left out of the national setup for the l asst few friendly's and games but with a string of consistent powerful performances, Mata could push for a spot in the squad.
#1 Pedro
With just 4 goals and 2 assists to his name, Spanish winger Pedro has failed to make a significant impact in the Premier League this season for Chelsea. His poor displays this term could have a significant impact on his hopes for a place in Spain's World Cup squad.
The former Barcelona winger will be eager to find his goalscoring touch and contest to be part of Julen Lopetegui's plans for a place in the Spanish national team. However, Pedro will have to quickly rediscover his form and put in captivating shifts to impress both Conte and Lopetegui in the second half of the campaign.
Pedro was a vital player in Chelsea's title-winning campaign last season and Spain could do with the player's experience and attacking ability. An impact player Pedro has a lot of competition for spots with Marco Asensio, Isco, Iago Aspas, Suso all probably ahead in the pecking order as it stands.
