England will seek to win their first European Under-21 Championship since 1984 when they butt heads with Spain, the most successful side in the tournament’s history, on Saturday.
Lee Carsley’s Young Lions are yet to concede a goal in the tournament and have reached the final for the first time since 2009, but they’re up against a Spain side who have reached five of the last seven finals and have won the trophy three times since 2011.
Here’s all you need to know about this one.
England U21s vs Spain U21s H2H Results
Current Form (Last Five Games)
Country |
TV Channel/Live Stream |
---|---|
United Kingdom |
UEFA TV |
United States |
UEFA TV |
Canada |
UEFA TV |
Max Aarons could return at left-back after serving his suspension, while Ben Johnson is also back in the mix after his own ban came to an end.
Midfielder Jacob Ramsey will miss out due to an injury he picked up in the quarter-final.
(4-4-2): Trafford; Garner, Harwood-Bellis, Colwill, Aarons; Madueke, Jones, Gomes, Smith Rowe; Gibbs-White, Gordon
Santi Denia’s high flyers have no fitness concerns to deal with.
There will be plenty of spectators expecting to catch a glimpse of the increasingly popular Gabri Veiga, but the Celta Vigo midfielder has been used off the bench in every game so far this summer and will likely retain that role here.
English fans will also spot Manchester City left-back Sergio Gomez playing in an attacking role for a change.
(4-3-3): Tenas; V. Gomez, Paredes, Pacheco, Miranda; Baena, Blanco, Sancet; Sanchez, Ruiz, S. Gomez
As two of the major contenders to win this tournament, it’s no surprise to see England and Spain meeting at this point. They’ve lived up to the billing but each now face their biggest test of the tournament.
England haven’t conceded this summer but will do well to boast that unblemished record after this one. Spain have two of the Golden Boot leaders in their ranks – Abel Ruiz and Sergio Gomez – and will present problems the Young Lions have not yet encountered.
That firepower could ultimately prove too much for England, whose quest for glory may come to an unfortunate end.