Cesc Fàbregas is out of Spain’s Euro 2016 qualifier at home to Belarus on Saturday after being diagnosed with a hamstring injury. Fàbregas, who played the whole of Chelsea’s 2-1 Premier League win at Liverpool on Saturday, had tests in Madrid on Tuesday and medical staff ruled him out of the Group C meeting in Huelva. José Mourinho said after the Anfield game that he had taken a “gamble” with the 27-year-old’s hamstring problem and that if he linked up with Spain he “would be back” as he was not fit.
Fàbregas has shone since joining Chelsea from Barcelona this summer, and has forged an impressive partnership with another new boy in Diego Costa. Costa is also an international colleague of Fàbregas although the Brazil-born striker is not part of the current Spain squad after Del Bosque decided to rest him. Costa, who scored the winning goal against Liverpool before being replaced late on by Didier Drogba, has been hampered by a hamstring problem that he had at his previous club Atlético Madrid.
Fàbregas has managed two goals and 11 assists in 15 appearances for Chelsea, and his injury is a blow to Spain as they seek to bounce back from last month’s 2-1 defeat in Slovakia. The Villarreal midfielder Bruno Soriano was called up to replace him in the squad.
Slovakia top the pool on nine points from three matches, with Spain and Ukraine on six, Macedonia on three and Belarus and Luxembourg on one point each. Fàbregas will also miss the friendly against the world champions Germany in Vigo on 18 November, the first meeting between the European heavyweights since a 1-0 win for Spain in the 2010 World Cup semi-finals
