England kick off their return to UEFA Nations League A with a blockbuster showdown against world champions, Spain.
Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions have been promoted straight back to League A after they topped their League B group in the 2024-25 edition, whilst Spain finished runners-up to Portugal in the League A Finals.
Team News
England will be Tino Livramento, Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, Kobbie Mainoo and Marcus Rashford after the quintet withdrew due to various injuries.
Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner consequently were called up as replacements.
Goalkeeper, Jason Steele and midfielder, Alex Scott are looking for their first senior caps coming into this match.
Spain will be without defender, Pedro Porro after he withdrew from the squad due to a hamstring injury suffered in Tottenham’s 3-2 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
When is Kick-Off?
England host Spain at Wembley Stadium, London, on Saturday 26 September at 7:45pm BST, live on ITV1 and ITVX across the UK.
Stat Attack
- England have won one of their two previous Nations League meetings against Spain (W1, L1).
- Spain won 2-1 in their only previous Nations League visit to England in September 2018.
- Both of the two previous Nations League meetings between England and Spain were won by the team playing away from home, with Spain having won 2-1 in England then the Three Lions won 3-2 away in Spain in the 2018-19 edition.
- Jude Bellingham has scored five goals in three of his last four appearances for England.
- Spain have conceded just one goal in their last eight matches in all competitions (W7, D1), during which they scored 14 goals.
Prediction
Amongst the five absentees, only Rice’s absence is likely to be most felt in this tricky opener because he has been an integral defensive midfield cog, but Elliot Anderson is ready to fill that void whilst James Garner can fill the second defensive midfield position solidly in terms of direct replacement.
I however will like to see England have learned from their defensive fragility at the World Cup because they too often made life harder through silly errors, aside from the semi-final as that defeat was down to Tuchel’s tactical blunder alone.
Spain meanwhile were defensively were everything that England should of been and deserved their World Cup title with their intense-pressing football, so I expect them to get at England from the get-go and make life as difficult as possible yet that could leave the door open at the back to quick counter-attacks.
There is also an added spice of knowing that this could of potentially been a repeat of the World Cup Final if not for Tuchel’s tactical errors against Argentina, so I expect England to be right up for this game to prove a point whilst Spain face their first stern test as world champions.
This clash therefore does feel like it will be tight and I can see a point apiece to kick off the campaign for both teams.
Prediction: England 1-1 Spain
Result: England 2-3 Spain