England vs Spain Predictions

The inaugaral UEFA Nations League kicks off this week, and with it comes the possibility of added excitement to a usually dreary international break. The format of the competition, which is explained in our UEFA Nations League Guide, pits teams of a similar quality against one another in a competitive format with the aim of encouraging people to take international football seriously outside of the major tournaments.

With Euro 2020 places up for grabs and the possibility of relegation from their leagues, it is something that should bring an edge of competition into international football. England have been drawn alongside Spain and Croatia in Group A4, so it will be a tough ask for all teams to avoid a drop in leagues.

Gareth Southgate’s squad selection has certainly indicated that this is serious business. Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana have withdrawn through injury, but apart from that all of the star players are present and correct. Harry Kane will lead the line ahead of an expected duo of Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford, while Dele Alli, Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek battle for a starting spot in midfield. A back five of Kieran Trippier, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire, and Luke Shaw could be fielded too.

Spain’s squad, selected by new manager Luis Enrique, is more of an unfamiliar one. Make no mistake, this squad is still packed with quality, but with Diego Costa withdrawing and David Silva, Andres Iniesta, and Gerard Pique all retired from international duty it marks the beginning of a new era for Spain.

Now, they will turn to the likes of Isco, Marco Asensio, and Alvaro Morata, while Marcos Alonso deservedly takes the place of long standing left back Jordi Alba. Dani Ceballos will be looking for his first cap alongside Jose Luis Gaya and Real Betis goalkeeper Pau Lopez too.

England’s form coming into this game may look a bit dodgy, but it’s important to remember that their two recent defeats did come in the latter stages of the World Cup. At Wembley, they are actually unbeaten since March 2016, winning ten of their 14 games there since. Their draws during this period came against Spain, Germany, Brazil, and Italy too, so they definitely have what it takes to hold off the footballing superpowers.

Spain’s recent record isn’t overly promising either. They may be unbeaten in normal time since Euro 2016, but they have failed to win six of their last nine games and are undergoing a massive change at the moment. The fiasco with Julen Lopetegui didn’t help them in the World Cup, and the resulting international retirements undoubtedly weaken their overall squad strength.

On the balance of things, we actually think England have the quality and confidence to go and get the win at Wembley, and in any case we’re not expecting the tight-knit group of players to lose on Saturday. Backing an England 0.0 Asian Handicap looks a great choice for this game, along with a 2-1 correct score predictions.