5 Players to Watch in Spain's Euro 2016 Qualifier with Slovakia

After sauntering to a 5-1 win over Macedonia in their bid to qualify for France 2016, Spain are now looking to move on to nine points from nine with fixtures against Slovakia and Luxembourg.

First up are Slovakia, at the Tehelne Pole in Bratislava on Thursday night.

Disappointment at the World Cup in Brazil and the retirements of several previously key players has led to a slightly different looking Spain squad for the clash.

Vicente del Bosque can still boast the experience of the likes of Iker Casillas, Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta, but there are also several new faces involved.

The following slides take a look at some of those less well-known faces in the squad, detailing five players with less than 20 international caps to watch out for against Slovakia.

1. Juan Bernat, 21 (0 Caps)

Pavel Golovkin/Associated Press

Bayern Munich's Juan Bernat has been called up by Vicente del Bosque for the first time.

The 21-year-old signed for the German giants from Valencia this past summer, following Jordi Alba's route out of Mestalla and being succeeded at Los Che by another promising Spanish left-back, Jose Gaya.

Since swapping Spain for Germany, Bernat has been a regular in Josep Guardiola's side, making seven starts so far this season.

Alba is still likely to be Del Bosque's first choice, but if Bernat continues to impress in Bavaria, La Roja's boss is going to have a big decision to make.

And who knows, by 2016 Liverpool's Alberto Moreno may also have thrown his name into the hat.

All three are exciting left-backs with a similar style of play, and Del Bosque will hope the competition for a spot will aid their progression.

2. Dani Carvajal, 22 (1 Cap)

Thibault Camus/Associated Press

On the other side of Spain's back four, the right-back spot really is open to interpretation.

Alvaro Arbeloa owned the rights to the position for years, but it's unlikely we will get to see him dressed in Spanish red ever again.

Instead, Vicente del Bosque has a vast range of options, with Real Madrid's Dani Carvajal, 22, perhaps now ready to make the position his own.

He's already moved ahead of Arbeloa at the Bernabeu, and it's only natural the full-back's next goal will be to establish himself as Spain's first choice.

In the current squad alone, however, he faces some tough competition.

Juanfran has been a staple of the successful Atletico Madrid side, while Cesar Azpilicueta has been remarkably solid for Chelsea, albeit on the left side of defence.

3. Koke, 22 (12 Caps)

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

He may only be 22, but Spain view Koke as one of the leaders of their new-look squad.

His rise under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid has been rapid, and it already seems that Vicente del Bosque considers him as a regular in his Spain side.

With Xavi and Xabi Alonso retired, a new figurehead was needed.

Koke's strong, can pass the ball and he's also got a lot of energy.

In fact, he's not especially similar to Xavi or Alonso at all, but that says everything about how Spain are having to adapt their style, very slightly, as they look to bring through the next generation of players.

The other midfielders in the squad with little international experience, Ander Iturraspe and Raul Garcia, are unlikely to have as big a say on Spain's future as Koke.

4. Paco Alcacer, 21 (2 Caps, 1 Goal)

Alberto Saiz/Associated Press

It's been a remarkable calendar year for Valencia striker Paco Alcacer.

Eighteen months ago he was on loan at Getafe, a few months later, after returning to Mestalla, he was struggling to get games under Miroslav Djukic.

However, the appointment of Juan Antonio Pizzi changed his fortunes and he has continued on an upward trajectory under another new boss, Nuno Espirito Santo, this season.

The striker, just 21, has been turning in impressive all-round performances week in, week out; he's already struck four times in La Liga this season.

He made his debut for Spain last month in the friendly against France and then scored in the win over Macedonia—he's likely to be Diego Costa's understudy for now, but time is certainly on his side.

Uncapped Valencia teammate Rodrigo Moreno joins him in the squad. Capable of playing across a front three, the 23-year-old scored 15 times in 16 appearances for Spain U21s.

5. Diego Costa, 26 (5 Caps)

Alastair Grant/Associated Press

With nine goals in seven league games, Diego Costa has seamlessly slipped into life as a No. 9 in the English Premier League.

Given his ruthless performances at Atletico Madrid, it's perhaps no surprise he has found it so easy to hit the ground running for Chelsea in a league often considered more physical.

However, his performances for his clubs haven't yet been translated into performance for his country—or his adopted country, we should say.

Not fully fit at the World Cup, he struggled to make an impression and he is yet to find the net in five caps for Spain.

Jose Mourinho suggested that Costa, due to a hamstring problem, would be better served missing these international fixtures, but Vicente del Bosque called him up.

And now he's there, Costa will be desperate to steer his La Roja career in the right direction.