There will be so many intriguing tactical and individuals battles as Spain and England square off in the final of EURO 2024 in Berlin on Sunday.
Will England stick with three at the back? Should Spain bring back their key players who were suspended for the semifinal? Will Alvaro Morata be fit? Should England start Luke Shaw?
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There will be so many different situations flowing through the minds of Spain’s Luis de la Fuente and England’s Gareth Southgate between now and the final at the Olympiastadion.
Both have reached the finale in very different ways but they’ve got there. Now it’s all about picking the right team, best formation and hoping for some luck.
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Below we look at the predicted lineups for both Spain and England and have a look at how they might approach this game.
Spain predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)
——- Simon ——-
—- Carvajal —- Le Normand —- Laporte —- Cucurella —-
—— Rodri —— Ruiz ——
—— Lamal —— Olmo —— Williams ——
——- Morata ——-
Obviously Morata was the main injury concern about a security guard slid into him (as a pitch invader got too close) during the post-match celebrations in Munich after the semifinal win against France. If he’s fit he will start but Ferran Torres or Joselu are the options and both give them something very different. Joselu will hold the ball up like Morata but Torres can make superb runs in-behind and stretch the English defense for the trio underneath to wreck havoc. If Morata is fit, Torres is a great choice to come on in the second half. After serving their suspensions for the semifinal we should expect both Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand to come back in to defense. Carvajal will be key in shutting down Luke Shaw or Kieran Trippier while he will also get forward to support Lamal and try to pin England back. Le Normand has looked decent in this tournament but there is an argument to keep veteran center back Nacho in at his expense and that is probably the biggest decision Luis de La Fuente has to make. In midfield the duo of Rodri and Fabian Ruiz have been superb and ahead of them Lamal, Olmo (in for the injured Pedri) and Williams hold the key to Spain winning it all. If that trio is in full flow — like they have been for most of this tournament — then Spain will surely win at a canter.
England predicted lineup (3-4-2-1)
——- Pickford ——-
—- Walker —- Stones —- Guehi —-
—- Saka —- Mainoo —- Rice —- Shaw —-
—— Foden —— Bellingham ——
——- Kane ——-
Gareth Southgate seems likely to stick with three at the back because it has given this England side a new lease of life in the tournament. The entire teams looks more comfortable in this system and it still maintains England’s defensive solidity but also allows their most creative players to get on the ball more in dangerous areas. The only real selection dilemma Southgate has is Luke Shaw or Kieran Trippier at left back. It will be both but after his return from injury Shaw should start and if he can last 60 minutes against Yamal then that is a huge bonus. Shaw’s attacking instincts should help pin the Spanish teenage sensation back and then Trippier could arrive to provide a more defensive solution down the left or Saka could switch flanks and Trippier then moves to right wing-back. The rest of the team picks itself as Mainoo and Rice have a big job to wrestle control of midfield from Ruiz and Rodri and stop the ball getting to Spain’s forwards. Harry Kane has been struggling for fitness and mobility but he put in his best display of the tournament against the Netherlands in the semifinal and provides England with an excellent focal point. Even though Ollie Watkins was the hero, Southgate will go with his most experienced and strongest side to start will full confidence the likes of Watkins, Ivan Toney, Cole Palmer and others can provide a huge impact off the bench.