Xavi rested for Spain qualifiers

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque has named a 20-man squad for the forthcoming UEFA EURO 2012 qualifiers against Lithuania and Scotland, with Xavi Hernández the main omission for La Roja.

The FC Barcelona midfielder is thought to be suffering from tendinitis and has been rested for the games in Salamanca and Glasgow. The FIFA World Cup winners are also without Cesc Fàbregas (hamstring) and Raúl Albiol (ankle) for the Group I encounters on 8 and 12 October, but defender Carles Puyol returns having missed the recent friendly defeat away against Argentina.

"The games against Lithuania and Scotland represent very dangerous fixtures," Del Bosque said. "To the uninitiated the outcome of these encounters might seem a foregone conclusion, but they are teams who are ahead of us in the standings and any slip-up now would be very dangerous for us. Lithuania are exceptionally well organised while Scotland at home represent very tricky opponents."

World champions Spain opened the defence of their UEFA European Championship title with a 4-0 victory in Liechtenstein on 3 September.

Spain squad
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid CF), Pepe Reina (Liverpool FC), Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona).

Defenders: Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona), Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona), Joan Capdevila (Villarreal CF), Carlos Marchena (Villarreal CF), Nacho Monreal (CA Osasuna), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid CF), Álvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid CF).

Midfielders: Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona), Sergio Busquets (FC Barcelona), David Silva (Manchester City FC), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid CF), Santi Cazorla (Villarreal CF).

Forwards: Jesús Navas (Sevilla FC), Fernando Llorente (Athletic Club), Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC), Pedro Rodríguez (FC Barcelona) David Villa (FC Barcelona).