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Boxing Spain vs England Prediction: Euro 2024 Team News and Lineups Preview
In what feels like the blink of an eye we have seen 50 matches completed at the 2023/24 European Championship and with only the final ahead of us, Jack Wright is on hand to offer up a Spain vs England prediction, team news and lineups preview.
The phrase more than one way to bake a cake plays out in football form this Sunday. Tournament eye-catchers Spain bring their eight game winning streak to Berlin as they take on the much maligned England side in the European Championship final.
- Spain vs England Tip 1: Spain to win
- Spain vs England Tip 2: Fabian Ruiz To Have 2 Or More Shots & Alvaro Morata To Commit 2 Or More Fouls
- Spain vs England Tip 3: Dani Olmo to score
Silvestre: I Give Spain the Edge, but England Have X-Factor on the Bench
How do you see this final being played out?
“From the first two group stage games, Spain became the favourites because of the way they beat their opponents, the way they played, the amount of goals they scored. Their full package was impressive compared to the other teams so going into the final as favourites I would say.”
“Over the course of a final like this, anything is possible. England, I won’t say create an upset, but could go on to win it.”
Which England players do you think will be key to stopping Lamine Yamal?
“Luke Shaw. I would say he should start and he’ll have the difficult task of going up against Lamine Yamal.”
“The amount of times Yamal is going inside, it will be a collective effort for Shaw, Rice and Mainoo to stop Yamal. Obviously Luke Shaw will have 1v1 situations to deal with and he’ll have to use his experience even more then. Yamal’s a top player and Luke hasn’t been involved in competitive football for a long period.”
Do you think England will be on the backfoot for this one, defending more than attacking?
“If they’re defending more than what they’ve already been doing, then it’s going to be a boring game.”
“Finals are finals, you need to win them no matter what way.”
“I think England has been in much better shape and the dynamics have looked more positive in that 3-4-3 formation.”
Will England’s experience of being in finals before, compared to Spain, give them an edge?
“I don’t think experience gives England an edge. What it does is give them the desire to go one step further and finally win the trophy. When you’ve been that close, you’ve smelled the victory and it escapes you, that gives you extra motivation. Their motivation and determination should flow for the final game of the tournament.”
If the final goes beyond 90 minutes, do you think England have the advantage then?
“You could argue that England have an edge if they go to extra time but Spain have been impactful with their substitutions. They all embrace and enjoy that Spanish football, I would say it’s easy for the substitutes to join. They also have one more day of rest.”
“England have Watkins, Palmer, Toney. Anthony Gordon could play a part. Konsa could play a part. They’ve all had minutes. These guys could be the x-factor towards the end of the game.”
Do you think Fabian Ruiz’s performances have gone under the radar? How do you think he can threaten England?
“Fabian Ruiz we know well in France as he plays for Paris. Not a great season for him in the sense that he hasn’t been a regular. But he’s shining and doing really well in this tournament, with Rodri.”
“Rodri has been unbelievable like he has been for Man City the entire season. And you have Dani Olmo as well who’s playing his part to replace Pedri, who’s moving very well between the lines. England will have to watch him carefully because he’s clever and can finish or provide an assist.
“Dani Olmo, for me, is the most underrated Spanish player to watch out for.”
Harry Kane hasn’t really been at his best. Do you think Ollie Watkins deserves to start in the final? Do you think Southgate will make that change?
“Given the dynamics of the team, I think Harry should continue starting. He hasn’t been awful.”
“If you want to be a bit cautious at the beginning, you should keep the same lineup except start Shaw ahead of Trippier and Harry to remain captain.”
“Physically it’s not like he’s been dropping from the first game to the semi-final. It’s the same activity and he’s capable of decisive actions in the box. He’s a top finisher. If you feed him in the right areas, he will find the back of the net.”
Will this game settle the debate – Rice or Rodri?
“That’s a very good confrontation. It’s a game within the game.”
“Both have a pivotal role and function in the team. One of the two will take the trophy home. It is what it is at this stage of the competition, in the final.”
Gareth Southgate has had his detractors but he’s taken England to another final. Has he been blessed with a great set of individuals or do you think his coaching deserves praise? What do you think he has done well as England coach?
“England made their own luck by finishing top of their group and that side of the draw was lighter to get to the final. They escaped the likes of Portugal, France and Spain but it’s good because they’ve in the final.”
“The only issue with England is the same issue France had and the type of football being played. It’s not enjoyable but if they win no one will talk about the way England played. Tournaments are there to be won and that’s all everybody remembers.
France in 1998 where the football wasn’t great but there were 10 million people in the streets of Paris celebrating the win and it will be the same for England if they manage to win it.”
Spain or England
“Both teams can win it but I would give an edge to Spain but the question is will they take advantage of it? Against France they didn’t create multiple chances in the game and I think it will be a tight game with England.”
“France struggled to stop Spain from keeping possession in midfield. Saka, Mainoo, Rice and Foden will be responsible to work together in midfield to stop Spain. If they can do that and not run after the ball, then they have a good chance to make a difference and win it.”
“My prediction is 51% to Spain and 49% to England.”
Your team of the tournament?
GK: Pickford/Simon
RB: Kounde LB: Cucurella CB:Guehi CB: Saliba
MF: Rice, MF: Rodri,
Attackers: Williams, Yamal, Saka
False 9: Olmo
Best Young Player, in case it’s not Yamal?
Yamal
Spain vs England Prediction 1: Stunning Spain can tame the Three Lions
UEFA, Euro 2024, Sunday, July 14th, 20:00 (UK)
One of the most important lessons I learned in the world of betting was to take the emotion out. Certainly to separate heart from head. Which of course brings me neatly round to my first pick. Spain to win.
La Roja have undoubtedly been the standout team at the 2024 European Championship. The bare stats show they have won all six games so far, albeit needing every minute of extra time to edge past hosts Germany.
Luis de la Fuente’s side laid their marker down on match day one. Drawn into the group of death where we expected every minute, every point to count, they opened up with a swashbuckling 3-0 defeat of Croatia.
Three wins accompanied by three clean sheets saw them cruise to top spot in Group B even having the luxury of rotating ten of their starting line-up for the final fixture against Albania. Something which we may only see the true benefit of in the latter stages of the game on Sunday.
We saw more sides of their game in the knockout stages which started with a clinical 4-1 dismissal of surprise package Georgia in the Round of 16. A last gasp quarter final win against the hosts having been pegged back seconds before the end of regulation time rubber stamped their credentials as title winners.
Even an early concession against France in the semi-final did not phase the Spanish. Step forward Barcelona wonderkid and Player of the Tournament favourite Lamine Yemal.
A sumptuous curling effort into the top corner brought parity with Dani Olmo (more of him later) smashing in what turned out to be the winner less than five minutes after. Odds of 3.25 for the 16-year-old Yemal to either score or assist appeal and only just missed the cut to make this piece.
It has been well documented how England have struggled this tournament and it is not a controversial statement to say the pre-tournament favourites have underwhelmed from the first whistle. That in itself is testament to the character of the group Gareth Southgate has assembled that they have shown resilience not to down tools and line up in the final rather than be sat on far flung beaches all over the globe.
One win from three group games was a sluggish effort but was still enough to top the section allowing a route to Berlin from what was considered the easier half of the draw. Easy it was not made to look. Jude Bellingham of course kept the dream alive with a wonder strike seconds from full time and 1–0 down against Slovakia in the Round of 16.
A late equaliser and a penalty shootout victory got them through their quarter final against Switzerland with a last minute semi-final winner booking their place at the Olympiastadion.
The form book, data and eye test comparisons between these two sides could not be more stark. Football is indeed a funny game and we all know “when your name is on the trophy..” but I have to trust my head over my ticker and Spain look great value to me on that basis.
- Spain vs England Prediction 1: Spain to win
- Best Odds: 2.50
- Bookmaker: William Hill
- Stake: 7/10
Spain vs England Prediction 2: When you simply can’t choose you have to take them both.
Two plays have been a constant theme for me since the beginning of the tournament. Both have been very profitable to follow and I was very surprised to see I was able to get onboard with both of them again in the final.
First up Álvaro Morata. Spain’s captain has started five of their six games this tournament being one of 10 players rested for the group stage victory over Albania.
The 31-year-old scored in the opener versus Croatia but has cut a frustrated figure since then and has failed to add to his tally. What can’t be denied though is the work he puts in for the team he leads on the pitch. A quick check on his heatmap for the semi-final tells its own story.
As a result it is not the Atletico Madrid strikers attacking output I have focussed on more so his defensive attempts. With 12 no player has committed more fouls at Euro 2024 and only Virgil van Dijk can match that total. Morata has conceded at least two fouls in all five of his tournament starts.
Fabián Ruiz is the second selection who’s engine room partnership with Rodri is close to midfield perfection. The 28-year-old has two goals to his name so far and it is no surprise given his penchant for a poke from range coupled with a desire to break into the box as he did in the opening five minutes against the French, only to plant his free header over the bar.
Luckily for us the final destination is not important. The PSG man has had 15 attempts at goal with only Lamine Yemal among his countrymen having more (16) and after just the one shot against Croatia he has had at least two in his next four starts including a high of seven against Georgia.
Now the hardest part was choosing between the two for which one makes the preview. Luckily we have bet builder for those greedy types like me out there who want to combine both. For those preferring to play either or both as singles they are priced generously enough to do so however for the purpose of my tracked bets this one is going down as a double at odds of 4.18.
- Spain vs England Prediction 2: Fabian Ruiz To Have 2 Or More Shots & Alvaro Morata To Commit 2 Or More Fouls (TRACKED BET)
- Best Odds: 4.18
- Bookmaker: Betfair
- Stake: 10/10
Spain vs England Prediction 3: Spain Olmo-st there and Dani can get them over the line.
This was not meant to be a tournament where Dani Olmo made headlines. Seemingly destined to be a bit part player in whatever was going to unfold for the Spanish.
A 30-minute cameo against Croatia in a game his side had already won did not send shockwaves around the tournament and he remained benched for the entirety of the impressive victory over Italy. Ten changes against Albania meant the 26-year-old got a start and in assisting the only goal of the game at least ensured he would leave a mark on the competition.
More game time off the bench in a straightforward win against Georgia in the Round of 16 and this time a goal. Then the sliding doors moment.
Horrendous bad luck for Pedri as with less than 10-minutes on the clock against Germany he suffered what turned out to be a tournament-ending knee injury. The versatile RB Leipzig attacking midfielder knew then he would be Spain’s number 10 and boy did he take his chance with both hands.
After scoring the opening goal Olmo rightfully secured the Player of the Match award by providing the cross for Mikel Merino to win the quarter final with his 119th-minute header. In the semi-finals Olmo scored what turned out to be the winning goal in the 25th minute. A strike that sees him joint-top scorer in the tournament and with two assists in pole position to win the Golden Boot.
No player has ever scored in the quarter final, semi final and then final of the men’s European Championship. Olmo will also be looking to emulate David Villa in becoming the second player to score in four consecutive games of a major tournament for Spain.
He is a massive price to achieve those personal goals and aid his nation in realising their collective one of lifting the trophy.
Spain vs England Prediction odds via William Hill, Betfair and Unibet as at 17:00, July 11th, 2024. Odds may now differ.
Spain vs England Euro 2024 Team News and Possible Lineups: No Shaw thing Trippier keeps his place
It is unusual that the most crucial piece of team news centres around the left-back position but here we are. Kieran Trippier is the unlucky man who has suffered constant clamour for him to be dropped. That is through no fault of his own but it looks like the time may now have come where Luke Shaw is fit enough to start and there is some much needed balance restored to this England lineup. The other doubt raised is whether semi-final hero Ollie Watkins should come in at the expense of record goalscorer Harry Kane. It would be a surprise if Gareth Southgate rocked the boat that heavily for such a huge fixture.
Spain look settled with the only doubt being over the fitness of Alvaro Morata after being taken out by a sliding member of the security team during the semi-final post match celebrations. Initial fears the captain may miss the final have since been allayed and therefore expect Luis de la Fuente to keep an unchanged side.
Spain possible starting lineup:
Simón; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Ruiz; Yamal, Olmo, Williams; Morata.
England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guéhi; Saka, Mainoo, Rice, Shaw; Bellingham, Foden; Kane.
Euro 2024 Match Stats
- England have now reached the final in two of their four major tournaments under Gareth Southgate after only doing so in one of their previous 23 attempts.
- Spain are the only national team to have won three major titles in a row after their European Championship successes of 2008 and 2012 sandwiched a World Cup win in 2010.
- Harry Kane’s goal against the Netherlands was his sixth goal in the knockout stages of the European Championship, more than any other player in the competition’s history.
- Spain are the first side to win six games at a single edition of the UEFA European Championship. A win here matches Brazil’s major tournament record achieved at the 2002 World Cup.
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