Italy: Under reconstruction
The era of Prandelli abruptly ended in the last World Cup, in which the Italians failed to advance past the group stage. The generational shift was interrupted when it seemed, based on the previous Eurocup, that it had the potential to consolidate. However, the FIGC decided to do away with him and bet on the best Italian coach of recent times, Antonio Conte, who had previously succeeded with Juventus using a system of three central defenders and two long wingbacks, defensive solidity, and above all, a competitive spirit reminiscent of the best Italy, the very one they urged him to recover. So far, he hasn't lost any official matches in the Eurocup qualifying phase, but with three wins and three draws, they are behind Croatia. In the search for identity, it remains to be seen whether veteran players like Buffon or Pirlo, who have been key for Conte, will continue to have importance, and whether the controversy over the naturalization of foreign players that the coach has relied on, such as Paletta, the "mute" Vázquez, or Eder, will be softened. Italy is under reconstruction, but Italy nonetheless. Spain and Italy have an equal record: 10 victories each and 13 draws.
Albania: Competitive with a recent win in Portugal
The Albanians recently won against Portugal on the road and are accustomed to scraping results against much stronger national teams. Currently, they have serious options to fight for a spot in the upcoming Eurocup. The growth of the team is considerable, especially compared to a few years ago. Led by Gianni de Biasi, former coach of Levante, among many other teams, they have players seasoned in important leagues such as goalkeeper Berisha (Lazio), center-back Cana (Lazio), midfielder Abrashi (Freiburg), or winger Lenjani (Rennes).
Israel: Far from the level of the previous Israeli generation
Israeli football is struggling to make the quality leap that was expected. In fact, there is a feeling that this current generation is not as good as the previous one, despite having the opportunity to host a U21 Eurocup and thus shape their young players with the goal of raising the quality of the national team. In the Eurocup qualifying phase, they are proving to be a very inconsistent team, capable of thrashing the best teams in the group at home, but also suffering resounding defeats against these same opponents. Their coach is Eli Gutman and their most outstanding footballers play in second-tier leagues or lower divisions of the most powerful leagues. Above all, midfielders Natcho (CSKA), attacking midfielder Refaelov (Club Brugge), and forward Hemed Tomer (Brighton) stand out.
Macedonia: Also an opponent on the way to the Eurocup and defeated by Spain
Spain already knows them because they are also opponents in the Eurocup qualifying phase, where they witnessed their poor level in the match played between the two teams in Ciutat de Valencia, which ended with a Spanish thrashing (5-1) due to many Macedonian defensive problems. Their great star in recent years, Goran Pandev, is no longer at a sufficient level to complicate anyone's life, and the rest of the team lacks bite. They have been under the guidance of Lubinko Drulovic since this year and their most recognizable players are center-back Sikov from Austria Vienna, midfielder Ademi from Dinamo Zagreb, winger Abdulrahimi (Lokeren), and forward Ibrahimi (Maribor).
Liechtenstein: A Cinderella with no possibilities of achieving more
One of Europe's underdogs, this remote Central European country does well to compete with the best and occasionally achieve positive results against teams of a similar level. In a country where ski jumping is the national sport, the national football team has no chance of making it to a major competition. Nonetheless, they have achieved commendable results lately, such as their victory in Moldova (0-1). They have already been opponents of Spain in recent qualifying phases, and their matches have always ended in heavy defeats. Burgmeier (Vaduz), the Büchel brothers, Sandro Wieser (Thun), and Thomas Beck (Rotweiss) are their most important players.