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Published 12:05 13 Jun 2018 BST
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Spain's opening World Cup game comes on Friday when they take on Iberian neighbours Portugal in Sochi. Drawn in Group B, they will also face Iran and Morocco.
One of the more high-profile omissions from Lopetegui's squad was Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas, who will form part of the punditry team for the BBC's coverage of the tournament.
Hearing the news from the Spanish camp, Gary Lineker tweeted it would give the former Arsenal and Barcelona midfielder something to talk about in the studio as he makes his punditry debut.
https://twitter.com/GaryLineker/status/1006842330643685377
Quoting Lineker's tweet, Fabregas went one stage further, jokingly (we hope) suggesting Lopetegui's dismissal may see him receive a late call-up to the squad.
'Wait, maybe I get a call up now,' he tweeted.
https://twitter.com/cesc4official/status/1006842558868344832?s=12
Lopetegui's dismissal will almost certainly have an unsettling effect on Spain's preparations for the tournament, but at least one Spaniard seems to have a positive outlook.
Lopetegui took over the position as the Spanish national team boss in 2016. He had previously coached the country's Under 21s team and also been manager at FC Porto for two years. Now removed from his position, reports on Wednesday morning suggested Spain's Under-21 coach Albert Celades would be an option to step in for the World Cup. Former Real captain Fernando Hierro, now Spain's sporting director, is also said to be in the frame.Quiz: Name every third place play-off winner in World Cup history
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