England face Spain on Saturday in the European Under-21 Championship final hoping to lift the trophy for the first time since 1984. This is also the Young Lions first European showpiece since 2009, when they are thumped 4-0 by Germany.
They face a side who have won three of their last seven competitions and thrashed Ukraine in their semi-final but England have history of beating Spain in this tournament. Their previous victory, back in 1984 saw them defeat the Spaniards 3-0 on aggregate and Lee Carsley’s side will be hoping for a similar scoreline this time around.
The Young Lions have yet to concede a goal in this summer’s tournament in Georgia and Romania and Carsley believes they can win the whole thing.
“I’d like to see this group finish off this campaign with winning it. They deserve it, they work so hard and are so diligent,” he said, “We were ranked sixth so to get to the final... to get out of the group to start with was a good achievement. The team have got maybe two or three levels to go. If they click it’ll be a hell of a performance.”
Here’s everything you need to know:
When is England U21s vs Spain U21s?
England U21s vs Spain U21s is due to kick off at 5pm BST on Saturday 8 July at Adjarabet Arena in Georgia.
How can I watch it?
The game will be broadcast for UK viewers on Channel 4 and via the official UEFA website whilst radio listeners can tune in to talkSPORT.
Team news
Lee Carsley brought in Emile Smith Rowe and Cole Palmer for the semi-final win over Israel and will need to decide whether to stick with them.
Morgan Gibbs-White is sure to keep his place but Cameron Archer will be pushing for a return after being dropped.
Spain named an unchanged line-up for their semi-final victory over Ukraine which was their strongest available. Abel Ruiz leads the line while Chelsea target Gabri Veiga is an option off the bench. Oihan Sancet should start in midfield.
Predicted line-ups
England U21s XI: Trafford; Garner, Harwood-Bellis, Colwill, Thomas; Palmer, Gomes, Jones, Smith Rowe; Gibbs-White, Gordon
Spain U21s XI: Tenas; V. Gomez, Paredes, Pacheco, Miranda; Blanco, Baena; Rodri, Sancet, S. Gomez; Ruiz
Odds
England win 13/8
Draw 21/10
Spain win 13/1
Prediction
A closely fought affair should yield goals for two attacking sides. Spain have the history of winning tournaments but England are riding a wave of momentum and have peaked at the right time.England 2-1 Spain
