Luis Aragones has again omitted Raul from his Spain squad as the Real Madrid captain was left out for the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier against Denmark next week.
Despite his impressive form for Los Merengues, Raul has failed to win his place back with la Seleccion and the national team coach remains loyal to his favoured forwards.
Spain take on Denmark in the crunch Group F encounter on October 13, where a victory for the visitors to Aarhus would push them to the cusp of qualification for the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland next summer.
Carles Puyol is back in the squad, having missed last month's matches through injury, while Valencia's Raul Albiol and Espanyol's Albert Riera are the surprise inclusions.
"Our qualification for EURO 2008 is at stake," Aragones said. "I know Riera from my time at Mallorca and he's technically a great player."
After playing Denmark at the weekend, Spain then travel to Helsinki to take on Finland, who are well placed in Group A, in a friendly.
