Head-to-head history
England has the better record all-time against Spain, going 14-3-10 dating back to 1929. However, La Roja has won five of the last eight meetings with the Three Lions since 2004. Most of them were international friendlies, but the two sides had one victory apiece in a pair of Nations League matches in 2018. There will be a lot of Premier League talent on the pitch come Sunday.
Spain looking to make history
The Spaniards were a force to be reckoned with in the early 2010s in the Xavi and Andres Iniesta era. And while they’re not around anymore, Spain is still clearly one of the best countries on the globe. Luis de la Fuente’s men have shown just that at Euro 2024, compiling a perfect 6-0-0 record in the tournament. The Spanish finished at the top of their group before taking down Georgia, Germany, and France in the knockout stages en route to the final.
In the process, Spain has bagged 13 goals and conceded just three times. In group play, they didn’t allow a single goal in a pod with Italy, Albania, and Croatia. Impressive, to say the least. On Tuesday in the semis, France took the lead early but 16-year-old Lamine Yamal quickly responded with arguably the goal of the competition. The Barcelona youngster unleashed a thunderous strike from outside of the box to beat Les Bleus keeper Mike Maignan. Yamal became the youngest scorer in Euros history with that beautiful finish. He’s been a revelation at Euro 2024, playing a key part in the middle of the pitch for Spain, and also tallying three assists.
Olmo has also been thriving for La Roja, netting three times and setting up another two. Fabian Ruiz meanwhile has two goals and two assists, too. If the Spaniards do come out victorious on Sunday, they will be the first team to win the Euros on four occasions. De la Fuente’s group owns +145 odds at Sports Interaction.
Can England bring it home?
It’s a long time coming for England to win a major tournament. Their last was way back in 1966, lifting the grand prize at the World Cup that year against West Germany. Gareth Southgate’s men looked very shaky early in this tournament and looked to be in danger of progressing out of their group, but they’ve since figured it out.
While it hasn’t always been convincing, the Three Lions are finding results, which is what matters most. In all three of their knockout games against Slovakia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands, England trailed early and came back to win. The Dutch netted a beauty to open the scoring in the semifinals but Harry Kane quickly converted from the penalty spot to even things up. Southgate then brought on Watkins and Cole Palmer just before the end of the second half and the two linked up to win it as the Aston Villa man scored a wondergoal to send England through to the second consecutive Euro final.
Sure, England fans will have terrible memories of the Euro 2020 when Italy beat them on spot kicks, but there will be optimism that the Three Lions can conquer their demons here and finally win another major trophy. England is a very slim underdog for the final at soccer betting sites.
