Cuenca out of Spain U21 squad and available for derby on Sept 27

Real Sporting de Gijón can breathe easy: Andrés Cuenca has not been included by David Gordo in the Spain U21 squad for the upcoming international matches, so he will be available for the Asturian derby vs Oviedo on Sunday, September 27.

The U21 list is confirmed

As Sport reports, the official call-up was published on Friday, September 18 for the final three games of the European Championship 2027 qualification stage. Spain will face Finland on September 25 in Tampere, San Marino on September 30 in Serravalle, and will close the run against Romania on October 6 in Can Misses, Ibiza. Cuenca is not among the selected players, which means he can stay with Sporting during the international window.

Good timing for Larcamón

Sporting’s gain is immediate. The absence of the Córdoba-born centre-back is a boost for Nicolás Larcamón and for the club, which will be able to rely on one of its key players for one of the season’s standout fixtures. Cuenca is under contract with Como and is on loan this term at Mareo, where he has stood out since his return—particularly in the three-centre-back setup.

The derby is also close to the international schedule: it kicks off at 21:00 on Sunday, September 27 at the Carlos Tartiere, just two days after Finland–Spain. Sport adds that Cuenca will therefore be able to prepare the match normally and be at the coach’s disposal for what is considered the most anticipated game of the early campaign.

What it means for his U21 debut

For Cuenca personally, the situation is different: he’ll have to wait to make his debut with the Spain U21s. This summer he played a role in the team that won the U19 European Championship, and his early-season performances for Sporting had put him on the radar of the federation’s lower-category structure. Gordo has included Jon Martín, Juanma Herzog, Jacobo Ramón and Yarek Gasiorowski as centre-backs, with Iván Fresneda, Álex Jiménez, Álex Valle and Rafa Obrador completing the defensive options in the final list.