Ceballos and AlcÃ¡cer back in Spain squad for Euro qualifiers

Posted August 30, 2019 7:00 am

By TALES AZZONI

Arsenal's Dani Ceballos, left and Burnley's Erik Pieters battle for the ball, during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Burnley FC, at The Emirates Stadium, in London, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. (Yui Mok/PA via AP) The Associated Press

MADRID (AP) - Arsenal midfielder Dani Ceballos and Borussia Dortmund striker Paco AlcÃ¡cer were called up Friday for Spain's European Championship qualifiers.

Neither player had been included in the previous list by then-coach Luis Enrique, who late Thursday announced his 9-year-old daughter Xana died after a five-month battle with bone cancer. The illness led Luis Enrique to resign in June and he was replaced by former assistant Robert Moreno.

Moreno's news conference to talk about the squad on Friday was canceled because of Xana's death.

Spain will visit Romania on Sept. 5 and host the Faeroe Islands on Sept. 8.

Ceballos is back after impressing early on in his stint with Arsenal in the Premier League, while AlcÃ¡cer has continued to be consistent in the Bundesliga, having already scored five goals in four matches this season.

In his first list, Moreno also included Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Pablo Sarabia, Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, AtlÃ©tico Madrid attacking midfielder SaÃºl Ã‘Ãguez, AC Milan forward Suso and Athletic Bilbao defender Unai NÃºÃ±ez.

Among the players left out of Moreno's squad were Celta Vigo forward Iago Aspas and Villarreal midfielder Santi Cazorla, who had been called up for the qualifiers in June, when Spain defeated the Faeroe Islands 4-1 and Sweden 3-0 to take the Group F lead with 12 points from four matches.

Players absent because of injuries include AtlÃ©tico Madrid striker Ãlvaro Morata and Real Madrid midfielders Francisco "Isco" AlarcÃ³n and Marco Asensio.

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Spain:

Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Manchester United), Pau LÃ³pez (Roma), Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea)

Defenders: Jordi Alba (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), JosÃ© Luis GayÃ (Valencia), Diego Llorente (Real Sociedad), Mario Hermoso (AtlÃ©tico Madrid), Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), JesÃºs Navas (Sevilla), Unai NÃºÃ±ez (Athletic Bilbao)

Midfielders: Dani Ceballos (Arsenal), SaÃºl Ã‘Ãguez (AtlÃ©tico Madrid), Sergio Busquets (Barcelona), Rodrigo HernÃ¡ndez (Manchester City), FabiÃ¡n Ruiz (Napoli), Dani Parejo (Valencia), Thiago (Bayern Munich), Pablo Sarabia (Paris Saint-Germain)

Forwards: Rodrigo (Valencia), Suso (AC Milan), Paco AlcÃ¡cer (Borussia Dortmund), Mikel Oyazarbal (Real Sociedad)

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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni

Dortmund's Paco Alcacer celebrates after scoring his side's third goal during the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Cologne and Borussia Dortmund in Cologne, Germany, Friday, Aug.23, 2019. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner) The Associated Press

PSG's Pablo Sarabia controls the ball during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Toulouse at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris, France, on Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. (AP Photo/David Vincent) The Associated Press

FILE - In this file photo dated Monday, May 23, 2016, Barcelona coach Luis Enrique holds the hand of his daughter Xana, celebrating with teammates winning the Copa del Rey and Spanish league title, at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona, Spain. Enrique posted a message on Twitter Thursday Aug. 29, 2019, saying his 9-year old daughter Xana has died after a five-month battle against a type of bone cancer. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, FILE) The Associated Press

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