England will take on Spain this Wednesday night in the UEFA Women’s Nations League at Wembley Stadium.
The two sides will meet for the first time since the FIFA Women’s World Cup final in 2023, where Spain ran out 1-0 victors thanks to a first half goal from Olga Carmona.
Neither team proved to be very convincing on matchday one of the Nations League, as Spain made up a 2-0 deficit to clinch a 3-2 victory from Belgium in the dying moments. As for the Lionesses, a second half equaliser from Barcelona forward Kika Nazereth saw Sarina Wiegman’s side depart Portugal with a single point.
With both sides desperate to prove their strength ahead of this summer’s European Championship, the blockbuster game under the arch of Wembley Stadium will certainly entertain.
Here is 90min’s guide to the game between the European and World Champions…
England vs Spain head-to-head record
|
England |
Spain |
|---|---|
|
England 1-1 Portugal – 21/02/25 |
Spain 3-2 Belgium – 21/02/25 |
|
England 1-0 Switzerland – 03/12/24 |
Spain 4-2 France- 03/12/24 |
|
England 0-0 United States – 30/11/24 |
Spain 5-0 South Korea – 29/11/24 |
|
England 2-1 South Africa – 29/10/24 |
Spain 1-1 Italy – 29/10/24 |
|
England 3-4 Germany – 25/10/24 |
Spain 1-1 Canada – 25/10/24 |
|
Country |
TV Channel/livestream |
|---|---|
|
United Kingdom |
ITV4, ITVX |
Lucy Bronze has been passed fit ahead of this one, having been withdrawn as a precaution against Portugal, and Wiegman reported no new injuries when she spoke to the press on Tuesday.
England are without mainstays Lauren Hemp and Georgia Stanway in this squad after the pair each underwent knee surgery over recent months. Questions were asked of how Sarina Wiegman would opt to replace Stanway who has been a key player for the Lionesses over the last few years.
Grace Clinton stepped into the starting lineup in Portugal last week and put on a solid display from the centre of midfield, but still has improvements to make.
England predicted lineup vs Spain (4-3-3): Earps; Bronze, Bright, Williamson, Charles; Walsh, Toone, Clinton; Park, Russo, James
Spain will be hindered by the absence of Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas as they come up against the European champions at Wembley after the attacker injured her ankle with Barcelona.
It was Benfica’s Cristina Martin-Prieto who aided the Spanish attack last week against Belgium, scoring in the 96th minute to salvage the three points. Montse Tome’s side will be relying on the same magic from the plethora of talent on their bench in order to test the shaky Lionesses.
Mariona Caldentey, Ona Batlle, Lucia Garcia, Laia Aleixandri and Leila Ouahabi are all familar names to WSL audiences, past or present.
Spain predicted lineup vs England (4-3-4): Coll; Batlle, Aleixandri, Paredes, Ouahabi; Abelleira, Bonmati, Lopez; Caldentey, Paralluelo, Pina
This blockbuster will be hard to call, especially considering the fact that neither side have been performing at their best over recent months. Spain have picked up three wins from their last five games, whilst the Lionesses have taken home just two victories in that time.
With the Euros looming on the horizon, both nations will be hoping to use this fixture as a way to measure their level agains the very best. Sarina Wiegman will need to make changes at an earlier rate in order to make sure England don’t lost sight on the game, where as Tome may need to put more thought into Spain’s starting lineup.
Both sides host a plethora of exciting talent in attack, whilst their defences have been leaving a lot to be desired. The matchup under the arch of Wembley Stadium will be far too close to call.