Euro 24 Final Preview

After an entertaining four weeks we are down to the final two teams as Spain takes on England in the final of the 2024 European Championship on Sunday. England started the tournaments as favourites to win but struggled through most of their games, whereas Spain have been the best team to watch overall. What can we expect from the final?

Spain – What to expect

Spain have seemed to slowly go through a renewal of their team, despite a few familiar names also being important parts of the squad. Question marks were raised about their defence but the likes of Marc Cucurella and Robin Le Normand have stepped up to the plate. In the centre of the park Rodri has had another impressive tournament and always looks in control as he bosses the middle of the park no matter who he seems to play against. Up front, the sparks have come from their wingers, as Alvaro Morata has had a relatively quiet tournament so far, although his hard work has allowed those around him to shine. Spain’s run to the final saw them make relatively easy work of Georgia in the last sixteen before coming through a tough clash against hosts Germany in the quarter-finals. Their semi-final opponent was no easier, as they took on France and needed to come from a goal down to eventually win 2-1 to set up their place in the final. Spain are now on an eight-match winning streak and their manager Luis de la Fuente has led the under 19 and under 23 sides to glory.

England – What to expect

England have had a somewhat strange tournament, starting off as favourites to win it outright but going into this final as underdogs against Spain. Much was expected of their attacking stars, but most performances were a struggle and fans have been complaining about the quality of football on show. However, despite this, they find themselves in a European Championship final again, for the second time in a row. This time they will hope to have learnt some lessons from their defeat to Italy at Euro 2020 and go one step better. England’s last performance in the win against the Netherlands was much better and the team certainly had more balance, the introduction of a fit Luke Shaw on the left hand side certainly helped in that regard. They have been reasonably solid defensively and there have been moments of brilliance from some of their young stars such as Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka.

Harry Kane has looked somewhat off the pace, but is still managing to make a positive impact and there are many players who are able to come off the bench to make a difference, as we saw when Ollie Watkins got the winner in the last match. Cole Palmer, Ivan Toney and Kobbie Mainoo are other players who have made a positive impact when introduced to the team. England narrowly got the better of Slovakia in their first knockout match, needing a brilliant 95th minute equaliser to go through to extra time before coming through another tough task when they beat Switzerland on penalties. This match against Spain will undoubtedly be their toughest task, but they can take heart from the fact they have got better with each match. 

England won the last meeting between these two teams, a Nations League clash in 2018 but Spain have the better record over the last ten meetings, winning five games compared to England’s three. The last time these two met in the European Championship was Euro 1996 when England got the better of Spain by winning a penalty shootout after neither team could be separated after 120 minutes. 

Spain will be delighted to welcome back influential right back Dani Carvajal and regular centre back Robin Le Normand, both of whom were suspended for the semi-final win. Alvaro Morata suffered an unusual injury scare after the match finished when a cameraman crashed into him, so there is an anxious wait to see if he is fit to play on Sunday. England will be relieved that they didn’t have to play extra time against the Netherlands, especially as they have one day less to recover before the final. They too will be waiting to see if their star striker, Harry Kane, is fit to play as he came off with an injured foot in the semi-final. Luke Shaw has not had any adverse reaction to his return to action so England should otherwise have a full squad to choose from. 

71,000 people will pack into the Olympiastadion in Berlin with many, many more in the fan parks and beer gardens in and around Germany’s capital and millions more will watch all around Europe as this month long football festival concludes with this final. Hopefully, it will be a memorable match and a great advert for football as we look forward to finding out whether Spain will win their fourth European Championship or whether England can finally win their first title.