England and Spain are set to clash in the highly anticipated Euro 2024 final on Sunday night, July 14 with Gareth Southgate aiming to lead his team to their first continental crown.
The Three Lions secured a thrilling victory over the Netherlands in the semi-finals, with Ollie Watkins scoring a dramatic late winner.
However, they will face tough competition from Euro favourite Spain, who have been the tournament’s top scorers.
La Roja showed their quality by defeating France in a thrilling semi-final match, with goals from Lamine Yamal and Dani Olmo helping them secure their spot in the final.
The final promises to be an exciting showdown between two powerhouse teams vying for European glory.
England vs Spain Team News
Gareth Southgate, who has guided the Three Lions to back-to-back Euros finals will face a few tough decisions before the final match.
Luke Shaw, who has recovered from an injury sustained in Germany, is vying for a starting spot over Kieran Trippier.
Despite his impressive performances off the bench in recent games, Shaw may not be a guaranteed starter as England strategizes against Spain’s threat on the right wing.
Following his crucial goal as a substitute, Ollie Watkins is also in contention to replace the underperforming Bayern Munich star Harry Kane in the starting lineup.
Despite Kane’s three goals in the tournament, Watkins’ impact off the bench has sparked calls for him to lead the attack.
Fortunately, England has no other injury concerns heading into the final, allowing Southgate to potentially keep to his 3-4-2-1 system and have the rest of the team unchanged for the crucial match
On the other hand, Spain’s defense will receive a much-needed boost for Sunday’s final with the return of Robin Le Normand and Dani Carvajal from suspension.
They are expected to replace Nacho Fernandez and the struggling Jesus Navas, who had a tough time against France and was forced off with an injury.
Meanwhile, Coach De La Fuente is hopeful that Alvaro Morata will be fit for the match as concerns about a potential injury scare have been dismissed.
Aside from Pedri’s absence due to a knee injury suffered against Germany, Spain will have a full squad available.
England vs Spain Head-to-Head
Out of the 27 matches played between the two European giants, England emerged as the dominating force with 14 victories, while Spain secured 10 wins and 3 matches, the remaining games ended in a draw.
In major tournaments, England defeated Spain at the European Championship in 1996 and in the 1968 play-off quarter-final. They also drew at the 1982 World Cup.
The last encounter between the two teams saw the Three Lions emerge victorious with a 3-2 win in Seville six years ago.
Predicted Lineup
England: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi; Saka, Mainoo, Rice, Trippier; Foden, Bellingham; Kane
Spain: Simon; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella; Ruiz, Rodri, Olmo; Yamal, Morata, Williams
Where to watch England vs Spain
The final of the Euro tournament between Spain and England will be broadcast live and available to watch for free on both BBC One and ITV1. Additionally, you can stream the match live for free on the BBC Sport, BBC iPlayer, and ITVX apps and websites.
Match prediction
Spain has been the top contender to win the tournament, as shown by their strong performance throughout.
Nevertheless, this match is a close call and could potentially go the distance, as Southgate is determined to avoid losing another final. Our prediction is a 1-0 victory for Spain against England.
Date and kick-off time
Spain vs England is scheduled for an 8 pm BST kick-off on Sunday, July 14, 2024.
Venue
The match will take place at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
