Soccer-Rodri ready to face Brazil despite three-day absence, says Spain coach
MADRID -Spain midfielder Rodri will be available for Tuesday's friendly against Brazil at the Santiago Bernabeu despite missing training for three consecutive days, manager Luis de la Fuente said on Monday.

Rodri, who was rested by De la Fuente for Spain's 1-0 defeat by Colombia on Friday, was absent from training on Monday after being excused from the team’s camp on Saturday to attend to personal matters.

"Rodri has had to attend a family issue, but he will join us this afternoon. He will be available and ready to go for tomorrow with no setbacks," De la Fuente told a press conference on Monday.

The 27-year-old Manchester City midfielder is going through the best period of his career, helping the Premier League club to their first-ever Champions League title last year.

Friday’s defeat was Spain's first loss in a year, with several key players such as Rodri, Dani Carvajal and Alvaro Morata rested in the build-up to the June-July European Championship in Germany.

"(Playing Brazil) it's a match of great importance that makes you put on all your finery. It could be a World Cup semi-final, we know who we are up against. It's a real blockbuster encounter," De la Fuente said.

Despite facing "one of the best players in the world" in Vinicius Jr, De la Fuente said that he will not have any special plan in place to stop the Real Madrid winger.

"(Vinicius) is out of this world, but we are concerned about all of Brazil's players. We know their potential and we will try to build on our strengths," De la Fuente said.

"Our plan is to focus on playing well, to focus on ourselves. Defensively we will try to emphasise our strengths more to take the initiative. We will be careful with them but the important thing is to focus on ourselves."

(Writing by Fernando Kallas, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
MADRID -Spain midfielder Rodri will be available for Tuesday's friendly against Brazil at the Santiago Bernabeu despite missing training for three consecutive days, manager Luis de la Fuente said on Monday.