Spain vs England Match Preview: Lineups, News & Prediction (EURO2024 FINAL)

*Odds are subject to change

Euro 2024 began with 24 teams, but there are now just two remaining. Spain and England are the only nations left standing in what has been another enthralling edition of this prestigious tournament. It is a competition England has never won before, but the Three Lions were just a penalty shootout after ending this barren run in the previous final. Will they fall at the final hurdle again, or will Gareth Southgate be able to finally end so many decades of hurt?

As for Spain, they have had the golden opportunity to become the most successful team in the history of this competition. La Roja are currently tied at the top of the “leaderboard” with Germany on three wins, so another victory would give them the outright lead. They are the favourites coming into this clash, although the bookies’ choice has lost the last two European Championship finals.

• Location: Berlin
• Stadium: Olympiastadion
• Date: 14 July 2024
• Kick-off Time: 21:00 CEST (20:00 BST)
• Referee: Fran?ois Letexier
• VAR: Jér?me Brisard

Spain Team News

While celebrating the win over France, Alvaro Morata was left limping after an accidental collision with a security guard who was chasing a pitch invader. Both Spain boss Luis de la Fuente and Morata himself have played down the seriousness of the blow, though, so it is expected that the Atletico Madrid man will lead the line for La Roja.

Elsewhere, Dani Caravajal and Robin Le Normand should return to the Spanish defence having served their one-game suspensions. The only absentee for Spain is Barcelona youngster Pedri, who picked up an injury following a Toni Kroos tackle in the quarter-final clash with Germany.

England Team News

Despite Luke Shaw’s return to full health, Gareth Southgate has yet to hand the Man Utd player his first start at the tournament. Preferring instead to sticking with Kieran Trippier at the left wing-back, it would be no great surprise if Shaw is missing from the starting XI again here.

There have been some calls to drop captain Harry Kane, as he does not seem fully fit, but Southgate is likely to keep faith with the starting line-up that faced the Netherlands. This is very much an option, too, as there are no injuries or suspensions for the England boss to deal with.

Spain vs England H2H Record and Key Numbers

England holds the superior all-time head-to-head record in this fixture (13 wins and 10 defeats) despite only winning two of the last eight meetings. The pair have only met in a competitive fixture twice in the last 28 years but do have some history in this competition. Their last Euros clash occurred in the quarter-finals of Euro 1996, a game which England won 4-2 on penalties following a goalless encounter.

Their only other meeting in the Euros was back in 1980, which England also won. This was rather a dead rubber clash though as both countries were already guaranteed elimination from the group stages whatever the scoreline. Still, England will not mind having a perfect record against Spain in this tournament (inc. two qualifying matches in 1968).

As for comparing their respective form, Spain comes into the final, having won all six of their Euro 2024 matches. They have not needed a penalty shootout either but did require extra time to see off hosts Germany. While an imposing record, England will take some confidence from the fact La Roja are yet to keep a clean sheet in the knockout stages. Surprisingly, the last team to beat Spain in a competitive match was Scotland during a Euros qualifier in March 2023, a sign of a British vulnerability, perhaps?

England are also still waiting for their first knockout clean sheet but have been showing signs of improvement. Following group-stage draws with Denmark and Slovenia, plus an unconvincing last-16 win against Slovakia, Southgate’s men appear to have found their footing a little. They had positive spells against Switzerland and were the better team against the Netherlands in the first half. They will need further improvements here, but this does not seem impossible based on their current trajectory and improved confidence.

Possible Lineups

• Spain (4-2-3-1): Simón – Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella – Ruiz, Rodri – Lamine, Olmo, Williams – Morata
• England (3-4-2-1): Pickford – Walker, Stones, Guéhi – Saka, Mainoo, Rice, Trippier – Bellingham, Foden – Kane

Where to Watch Spain vs England Euro 2024 – TV and Online Live Streaming

British viewers have the choice of watching this game on BBC or ITV. In Spain, the match will be live on La1.

Prediction

Our first tip for this game is to back under 2.5 goals. This has been the case in five of England’s six matches this tournament (within 90 minutes) as well as four of the last five European Championship finals. The only exception was when Spain hammered Italy 4-0, but we cannot see a well-organised England defence being torn apart so easily.

Although we are not anticipating a high-scoring game, we do not expect a goalless first 90 minutes either. With England having conceded first in all knockout games so far, La Roja would appear the most likely to bag the first goal. As for who will be responsible for this, Dani Olmo is a serious contender. The Leipzig man has scored in five of his last seven Spain appearances and has averaged a shot every 22 minutes this tournament.

We also predict Spain will collect at least a few yellow cards in this match. Perhaps surprisingly, they have committed the most fouls this tournament (83), 15 more than the next-highest team, collecting 15 yellow cards in the process. Robin Le Normand to be booked perhaps offers the most appeal as he collected 13 yellows for Real Sociedad last season and has two bookings already in this tournament.

Finally, no prediction section would be complete without picking the winner. For this, we simply have to go with Spain to lift the trophy. As La Roja looked like the best team in the tournament, we think they could win 1-0 or find a winner in extra time after a 1-1 draw. They have already overcome two massive tests to reach this stage in hosts Germany and former favourites France, whereas England have not yet shown us they can beat one of the very best sides.

Fore more Spain vs England match predictions, you can browse our tips page for this game.