The key battles ahead of Spain v England

England have made it to back-to-back finals ahead of the Euro 2024 showpiece but Spain still stand in the way of a first major trophy since 1966.

It is the first major final on foreign soil for the Three Lions but those players and more importantly, Gareth Southgate cannot get carried away just yet.

Spain have been the team of the tournament and will put up a mighty challenge in Berlin on Sunday.

We take a look at where the key battles will be on the pitch.

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Yamal vs Shaw/Trippier

We still do not know whether Luke Shaw or Kieran Trippier will start on the left against Spain.

But we do know that Lamine Yamal will line-up for La Roja again, and he is going to be a problem.

The young Barcelona star scored arguably the goal of the summer against France in the semi-final, making him the youngest goalscorer at a Euros or World Cup.

He also broke Pele’s record of being the youngest player in a semi-final of a major tournament.

Having created 13 chances and provided a further three assists, Yamal is an obvious threat that Southgate will be preparing for and the biggest decision he must make is who is going to face up against him.

Trippier was brought off at half-time against the Netherlands and Shaw has looked sharp in his two appearances so far at Euro 2024.

As England’s only natural left-back, it may finally be time to hand the Manchester United man a start in the final.

And we must not forget that he did score the opener against Italy three years ago.

🇪🇸🆚🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Who’ll be running the show on Sunday?#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/B5v6VC2zAL

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 12, 2024

Cucurella vs Saka

Redemption has been on the cards for both Bukayo Saka and Marc Cucurella at Euro 2024.

Saka has been a shining star for Arsenal, but in an England shirt, he is remembered for missing one of England’s penalties in the Euro 2020 final against Italy.

It has been the opposite for Cucurella, who has had a hard time adapting to life at Chelsea since moving there from Brighton.

But the 25-year-old has been at the heart of Spain’s run to the Euro 2024 final, keeping some of the best wingers in Europe at bay.

It will be a fascinating battle between the two Premier League stars on Saturday.

Saka has had the better of his opponent most recently when Chelsea faced Arsenal in the Premier League but international football is a whole different kettle of fish.

Williams vs Walker

As if one pacey, skilful winger wasn’t enough, England also have to deal with the threat of Nico Williams on the left.

Kyle Walker has been a leading example for his country so far this summer and it will be fascinating to see how his pace and experience is able to deal with the Athletic Bilbao man.

21-year-old Williams is 13 years younger than his positional opponent for Sunday, who thrives in one-on-one battles.

The Spanish winger had 16 goal contributions in LaLiga this season and will be looking to add to his goal and assist at Euro 2024.

It is certainly a battle to keep an eye on in Berlin.

Foden/Bellingham v Rodri

As was the case in the Spain vs France match, the midfield is where the match could be won or lost.

There is an abundance of talent in that area, including Rodri, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham.

Southgate has so far managed to accommodate both of his midfield stars in the starting line-ups and they will likely need to work together to eliminate the threat of Rodri.

The Manchester City midfielder has lost just one of his last 79 games for club and country and is the heartbeat of Spain’s entire team.

We have seen moments of magic from Bellingham in this tournament, but he might find his match on Sunday in Berlin.

Kane x Bellingham 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿✊#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/XL7OWKXjLf

— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) July 12, 2024