2024-07-14 17:50:01
Euro 2024 comes to a close on Sunday with an epic final matchup as England face Spain in the final in Berlin. Spain have won the competition three times and go for their first since 2012 while the Three Lions have never won the competition and hope to add their first piece of silverware to the men’s trophy cabinet since the 1966 World Cup final.
Spain enter the match as the favorites thanks to their dazzling display throughout the competition, while England have improved as the cup has gone on and could just be 90 minutes from long-awaited international glory.
Ahead of the games, here are our staff picks:
One matchup to watch: Rodri vs. Declan Rice — In many ways this has been the defining battle of the English football calendar so it is appropriate that Manchester City and Arsenal’s linchpins do battle one last time in a season where they have continually one upped each other from afar. Rodri has had by far the better Euros, Rice visibly fading as the weight of all those minutes for club and country weigh him down. He will need to find something from somewhere at the last or else it could be a familiar tale for England in the big games, cut to ribbons by a midfield that can dominate them with and without the ball. – James Benge
Most likely to score a goal: Harry Kane — Whether it is from a penalty or open play, England’s captain and talisman is the most likely to find the net for the Three Lions despite his below-par tournament overall. The Bayern Munich man needs a big performance and perhaps the silverware on offer and the big stage elicits a major response from Kane. If he does score, and the same goes for Dani Olmo, one of the two could move outright into the lead as tournament top scorer. – Jonathan Johnson
Man of the match pick: Lamine Yamal: He was the player of the tournament so far and all the expectations are that he will also be the man of the match in the final against England. Yamal scored a stunner in the semifinal against France that decided the game and he will play alongside Nico Williams and Alvaro Morata in the final. Yamal turned 17 one day before the final and he will contend for top player of the tournament with Jude Bellingham. The future is on his side, but I expect him to be a deciding player in the final on Sunday. – Francesco Porzio
Spain XI: Unai Simon; Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Olmo; Yamal, Morata, Williams
England XI: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Shaw; Mainoo, Rice; Saka, Foden, Bellingham, Kane
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