Diego Costa suffers relapse and opens the door to Torres

Vicente del Bosque will announce his first list for EURO 2016 on Tuesday but the 19 players who are involved in domestic and European Cup competitions in Italy, Portugal, Germany, England and Spain won' be included.

That is the scenario the defending champions face as the preparatory stage set for 26 May to 1 June in Austria draws near. Spain have two friendlies lined up - against Bosnia on 29 May and South Korea on 1 June and for those games, Del Bosque had hoped to be able to count on all of Chelsea's internationals. But even that has not turned out as he planedd. Diego Costa has suffered a relapse of the hamstring tendon injury which prevented him from taking part in the Champions League final with Atlético two seasons ago and held him back when Spain contested the World Cup in Brazil.

The reccurrence of the hamstring tendon problem means Diego Costa is a serious doubt for EURO 2016, and that opens the door to Fernando Torres, who is preparing for the Champions League final in Milan. The strikers who are certain to go to EURO 2016 are Morata, Alcácer and Aduriz.

On top of Diego Costa's fitness concerns, another headache for Del Bosque is the loss of Santi Cazorla. The Arsenal player is carrying a knee injury which has ruled him out of the tournament.

And to cap it all, Pedro has also been in the wars. The Chelsea player fractured his nose in an accident at home. He tripped and hit his nose against a piece of furniture and if he does play, he will have to wear a protective mask.