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Goalkeeper - Sergio Rico (Sevilla)
Rico was the Spain No 3 at the Euro 2016 behind David De Gea and Iker Casillas. With Casillas retiring, he would have considered his place secured in Spain's national team but Lopetegui chose against it. The 24-year-old has been Sevilla's first-choice keeper for the last four seasons, making more than 150 appearances. The manager has instead opted for Napoli's Pepe Reina and Athletic Bilbao's Kepa Arizzabangla; the former on the account of experience and his involvement in Napoli's title challenge while the latter is more of a personal choice given that this will be the 23-year-old's first major tournament.
Full-backs - Hector Bellerin (Arsenal), Marcos Alonso (Chelsea)
It had been quite clear that the first-choice full-backs were going to be Dani Carvajal on the right and Jordi Alba on the left. The race was always for the backup slots. This role has previously been played by Hector Bellerin but the Arsenal full-back has had an indifferent season, attracting criticism when his team was on a poor run. This time, the honor has instead gone to Real Sociedad's Alvaro Odriozola.
Another Londoner, Marcos Alonso, part of the FA cup-winning Chelsea side, has also been omitted. Surprisingly his place has gone to Arsenal's left-back Nacho Monreal, who enjoyed a terrific season against the tide at the Emirates. Interestingly, Alonso made his national team debut under Lopetegui in the 6-1 friendly win over Argentina while Monreal was not even in the squad.
In pic: Hector Bellerin
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Centre-backs: Javi Martinez (Bayern Munich) and Marc Bartra (Real betis)
Spain have enjoyed the services of Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique for over a decade but both stalwart defenders are on the wrong side of 30 now and the centre-half position could spell trouble for the Spaniards in the future.
Marc Barta, a La Masia graduate who left Barcelona in 2016, did not perform to expectation at Dortmund. He then moved to Betis last summer where he proved important as the club qualified for next season's Europa league.
Another surprise omission was that of Javi Martinez, a utility player who can play along the back four or in defensive midfield. It must have come as a shock to the player given he had won another Bundesliga title this season with Bayern and is a World Cup and Euro winner.
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Midfielders - Juan Mata (Manchester United), Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea), Luis Alberto (Lazio)
Juan Mata has been in and out of the Manchester United team since Jose Mourinho took over and has lost his place in the national squad owing to it.
Cesc Fabregas, the Chelsea playmaker, has 110 national caps and was ever present in Spain's period of domination from 2008-2012. He lost his place due to a hit and miss season with his club.
Luis Alberto was a revelation at Lazio this season, assisting 19 and scoring 12, but will need to prove his consistency to assure a place in the Spanish midfield in the future.
Forwards: Jose Callejon (SC Napoli), Alvaro Morata (Chelsea), Pedro (Chelsea)
Callejon and Morata are ex-Castilla players while Pedro is a La Masia graduate who was also a part of the treble-winning Barca teams of late. Callejon has made over 250 appearances for Napoli and has been influencial on the right wing since joining, scoring 75 and assisting 50 in all competitions for the Partenopi.
Morata was snubbed for his poor season at Chelsea, where he scored 11 goals in 31 Premier League matches. Instead of Morata, Diego Costa made the final 23 for Spain.
For Pedro, the 2017/18 season is not one he will remember. He made just 17 apperances in the Premier League, scoring four times and assisting on two occasions. He scored two goals in Chelsea's FA Cup title campaign. But he had to compete for the spot with names like Marco Asensio, Isco and Lucas Vasquez, and did not make the final squad.
In pic: Jose Callejon with Arkadiusz Milik
