Preview: Spain vs. England – prediction, team news, lineups – Sports Mole
Euro 2024 draws to a close with a battle of the Berlin behemoths on Sunday evening, as finalists Spain and England emerge to a raucous Olympiastadion atmosphere for the right to be crowned kings of the continent.
While La Roja – tipped by many as the favourites to prevent football from coming home once again – are already familiar with feel of the Henri Delaunay Trophy, the 1966 World Cup winners are yet to hoist the iconic cup aloft.
Luis de la Fuente‘s red-clad superstars and Gareth Southgate‘s crop of hopefuls both had to do it the hard way in their semi-final ties, as Spain denied France a shot at Euros supremacy, while the Three Lions roared to a mesmerising victory over the Netherlands to reach back-to-back finals.
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By the time Francois Letexier‘s final whistle blows on Sunday night, the Spain vs. England major tournament final chapter would have come full circle; after all, the two nations crossed paths in two showpiece matches this time last year, just not in the senior men’s game.
Several weeks after Lee Carsley‘s England Under-21s sunk their Spanish counterparts to earn their European Championship stars, Spain’s women’s team conquered the globe with an identical 1-0 success in the World Cup final, leaving Sunday’s mouthwatering meeting as delicately poised as they come.
As the likes of hosts Germany, the Kylian Mbappe-led France and – to an extent – England lapped up most of the pre-tournament fanfare, De la Fuente’s Spain may have flown slightly under the radar before commencing their Euros duties, especially in the wake of their recent major tournament failures.
However, La Roja made a complete mockery of the so-called ‘Group of Death’, amassing nine points from a possible nine against 2018 World Cup runners-up Croatia, reigning European champions Italy – who will soon be deposed – and the unfancied Albanians, ending the first phase as the only nation with a 100% record both points-wise and defensive-wise.
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Even when tournament debutants Georgia took a shock lead in their last-16 battle, Spain had still not conceded to an opposition player – Robin Le Normand‘s own-goal blushes were spared by a terrific quartet of Roja strikes – and De la Fuente’s men subsequently survived their biggest scare yet against ousted hosts Germany in the quarter-finals.
After the heroics of Mikel Merino in Stuttgart, the 16-year-old phenom that is Lamine Yamal lit up the Allianz Arena with the goal that made him the youngest scorer in Euros history – and an outrageous one to boot – before Dani Olmo‘s exquisite touch and deflected effort left Les Bleus feeling blue.
Excluding their triumphant Nations League campaign last year, Spain’s senior men’s team punched their ticket to their sixth major tournament final by fighting back against the French, and only one of their previous five – the Euro 1984 final versus Les Bleus – has seen La Roja come out second best.
Champions of the continent in 1964, 2008 and 2012, Spain can not only earn another engraving on the Henri Delaunay Trophy, but also a slice of footballing history; by breaking English hearts on Sunday, they would become the first-ever European men’s team to win four major tournament finals on the spin.
Of course, a fourth Euros success would also see Spain become the most successful team in the history of the competition – leaving Germany and their trident of successes in their wake – and it is just the 16 wins from their last 18 matches for the three-time champions, who have emerged triumphant in their last eight on the bounce.
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Had a boy from Torquay not burst onto the Premier League scene with Aston Villa and wrote his name into the annals of English football, Spain may very well have been gearing up for a repeat of their fiery 2010 World Cup final versus the Netherlands. Instead, De la Fuente’s men will face a wall of white fresh from rejoicing in Dortmund delirium.
Prior to pitting their wits against Ronald Koeman‘s men at the Signal Iduna Park, only one of England’s five matches at Euro 2024 – their opening scrap with Serbia – saw Gareth Southgate’s charges get the job done in 90 minutes, leading to the all-too familiar wave of vicious vitriol towards the much-maligned Three Lions boss.
Drab draws with Denmark and Slovenia – where England looked jaded, disjointed and fresh out of offensive ideas – did little to galvanise the nation either, and nor did their extremely unconvincing last-16 success over Slovakia, who were only denied a famous success by the astonishing acrobatics of Jude Bellingham.
Following the Real Madrid man’s heroics, the Three Lions’ quarter-final bacon against Switzerland was saved by another starboy in Bukayo Saka, who also exorcised his own major tournament penalty demons – akin to Stuart Pearce versus none other than Spain in 1996 – during an unexpectedly perfect shootout from the Euro 2020 silver medallists.
Southgate and co were still under no illusions that enormous improvements were required if they were to nullify the Netherlands, whose own protege – Xavi Simons – capitalised on a rare lapse in concentration from Declan Rice, but what followed was arguably the best performance England have produced in the whole of 2024.
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While Bart Verbruggen could hardly have done more to deny Harry Kane from the spot after the England captain was controversial awarded a penalty, the Golden Boot chaser’s effort was placed perfectly into the bottom corner, but as Koeman tweaked his team tactically, England’s wave of chance after chance reverted to fruitless pass after fruitless pass.
That was until the clock struck 90, however, when Chelsea talent Cole Palmer delivered a slick pass into the feet of fellow substitute Ollie Watkins, who needed no second invitation to unleash a venomous strike across goal from a tight angle, which rippled the far side of the net and triggered unbridled England elation.
A multitude of collective and individual records were either matched or broken by Southgate’s luminaries at the Signal Iduna Park, as England became the first side to ever reach the Euros final after trailing in both the quarters and the semis, while Kane has now scored more major tournament knockout goals than any other European man in history.
Never before have the England senior men’s team competed in a major tournament final on foreign soil, but Southgate – whose uncertain future remains a slightly unwelcome distraction – continues to find new ways to mastermind unforgettable Three Lions victories, even when some of the pessimistic crowd feel that his time ought to have been up a while ago.
The 53-year-old has already experienced the joys of sinking the Spanish on the field and in the dugout, having been a member of the Euro 1996 quarter-final penalty victors while also overseeing a 3-2 Nations League win in October 2018, their most recent head-to-head. Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford were among the goals that day, and as both watch Sunday’s titanic tussle from their sofas, the time is nigh for the new kids on the England block to emulate the women’s and Under-21 sides and complete the holy Euros trinity.
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Spain’s bad-tempered quarter-final showdown versus Germany saw two defensive rocks – Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand – fall foul of the referee, and neither man was able to take part in the semi-final due to suspension.
Le Normand was banned for an accumulation of yellow cards, while Carvajal was dismissed in extra time in Stuttgart, but both men are now back at De la Fuente’s disposal and should bring some much-needed fresh legs to the Roja XI.
Carvajal – whose form over the past 12 months has arguably been some of his best in recent memory – will be a straight swap for Jesus Navas, the only surviving member of Spain’s Euro 2012 squad, while Le Normand should demote ex-Real Madrid skipper Nacho to the bench.
However, sympathies should be offered to the luckless Pedri, who has been cruelly denied the chance to play in Sunday’s final owing to the knee injury he picked up in the quarters, while ex-Leicester City man Ayoze Perez is also sidelined with a quadriceps tear.
In spite of Merino’s starring role in the quarter-final, in-demand RB Leipzig playmaker Olmo – one of six players on a tournament-high three goals – will act as the focal point in between the enormously talented pairing of Yamal and Nico Williams, the former of whom may come up against an England man yet to start at the Euros.
There was some brief concern over Alvaro Morata, who suffered a freak injury after being tackled by a security guard trying to help eject a pitch invader, but the Atletico Madrid man has trained normally and is expected to spearhead the charge.
With Luke Shaw nursed back to full health, England arrive in Berlin with an empty medical room, although question marks linger over whether the Manchester United man will be trusted from the first whistle.
After making a brief yet effective appearance in the victory over Switzerland, Shaw replaced his deputy Kieran Trippier for the second half of the semi-final and came through unscathed, meaning that a start in Berlin is not beyond the realm of possibility.
While added caution needs to be exercised over Shaw and his history of injuries, the ex-Southampton man – who memorably scored a two-minute opener in the Euro 2020 final – is surely in line for promotion to the first XI here, alongside an otherwise settled group of players.
Another 3-4-2-1 shape should be adopted by Southgate, who will not reward Watkins’s semi-final heroics with a start over three-goal captain Kane, supported as ever by the inverted Bellingham and Phil Foden.
Now the youngest player to start a major tournament semi-final for England’s men’s team, 19-year-old Kobbie Mainoo has slotted seamlessly into the Three Lions engine room and has more than justified his expected selection for the showpiece.
Spain possible starting lineup:
Simon; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella; Ruiz, Rodri, Olmo; Yamal, Morata, Williams
England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi; Saka, Mainoo, Rice, Shaw; Bellingham, Foden; Kane
Southgate has already conceded that nothing less than perfection will do for England if they are to end 58 years of hurt in the senior men’s game, but Three Lions fans have not witnessed perfection from their beloved crop in Germany over the past few weeks; far from it in fact.
Once the Netherlands beefed up their midfield in the semi-final, England once again struggled for attacking ingenuity until the devastating Palmer and Watkins link-up, and a similar story could arise from the first whistle with the omnipresent Rodri at work.
A solitary goal should still come England’s way, as De la Fuente’s defence is far from watertight, but Spain’s fledgling attackers should once again prove too hot to handle, even for a menacing England backline. As was the case at Wembley three years ago, Sunday’s final will likely end in tears of misery for the Three Lions, as La Roja become the most successful team in the history of the European Championships.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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