WHO: Spain vs England
That: Euro 2024 semi-finals
Where: BVB Stadium in Dortmund, Germany
When: The match will start at 21:00 (19:00 GMT) on Saturday, July 14
How to follow: Al Jazeera will bring you live text commentary of the game with build-up starting four hours before kick-off.
When Spain take on England in the Euro 2024 final, history will be decided by the winner.
The Spanish will become the absolute champions of the competition, overtaking Germany, if they lift the trophy for the fourth time, while the English will be crowned continental champions for the first time if they win.
Spain have enjoyed a remarkable run to the final, making history with a 100 per cent record in all six of their matches, and are clear favourites going into the match. England, by contrast, have dithered, faltered and dragged themselves back from the brink of elimination to reach the final in the German capital, Berlin.
With victories in 1964, 2008 and 2012 already under their belt (as well as the 2010 World Cup), the Spaniards can approach the match without fear of failure and with their form continuing to improve. They swept their group without conceding a goal and have rarely been troubled in the knockout stages, despite facing host nation Germany and pre-tournament favourites France.
Only Georgia caused a hint of surprise among Spanish fans when it had the audacity to take the lead in the round of 16: Spain swept the field 4-1, which could have been doubled in the end.
Among those who shone against the Georgians was Lamine Yamal, now a household name around the world. The Barcelona winger could have had a hat-trick in that game but saved his first goal of the tournament to equalise the semi-final against the French, writing him into the history books as the youngest ever scorer at a European Championship. Saturday was his 17th birthday.
Is England regaining form just in time for the clash with Spain?
After a poor showing with one win and two draws in their group, England were seconds away from elimination in the last 16 against Slovenia before Jude Bellingham's last-gasp overhead kick sent the tie into extra time. Harry Kane settled the match without the need for penalties.
Gareth Southgate's side were pushed all the way to penalties by Switzerland as Bukayo Saka was among the heroes and banished memories of his miss in the Euro 2020 final defeat to Italy.
That is the closest England have ever come to a European crown before but they have had their moments, including on home soil in 1996 when they agonisingly lost their semi-final on penalties to Germany after having been the better team in open play.
On their way to the semi-finals of that edition, they beat Spain on penalties after a goalless draw in the quarter-finals. They also produced one of their most memorable performances since winning the 1966 World Cup – their only major international trophy – by beating the Netherlands 4-1 in the group stage.
It was against the Netherlands in the semi-finals that the Dutch produced their best performance of this edition. The first half was very complete, while the Netherlands gave a more stubborn response in the second half. That almost exhausted Southgate's team, but, as extra time approached, Ollie Watkins came off the bench to score a deserved winner in added time.
There is no doubt that England possess the potential as a team to beat Spain in the final, but that rests on the quality of the individuals at Southgate's disposal.
If the England manager succeeds in getting his stars to sing a song, then football could well “come home” and 58 years of pain will come to an end with just a second international title for the nation heralded as having the world's best domestic league.
Fun Fact
Spain are the first team to win the European Championship six times in a row. Will it be seven magnificent victories for the Spanish or will England burst the Spanish piñata?
News from the Spanish national team:
Spain get Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand back from suspension. Both full-backs started in the quarter-final win over Germany. The former was sent off in extra time for defending that earned him a second booking in the sixth minute of extra time. The former was booked in the 29th minute before being taken off at the interval. The Spaniards have no injury problems otherwise, so are unlikely to make many more changes as they seek a seventh consecutive tournament win.
England team news:
England captain Harry Kane was substituted for the semi-final win over the Netherlands due to fatigue, having limped off in the quarter-final win over Switzerland. A fall on water bottles in the technical area during the quarter-final led to calf cramps, prompting his withdrawal. Following the semi-final win over the Dutch, the Bayern Munich striker declared that he would be fit and ready to play in the final.
Luke Shaw has made his first two appearances of the tournament from the bench as he continues his recovery from injury, but Southgate may be inclined to opt for the experienced Manchester United defender from the start for the final.
Possible lineups:
Spain: Unai Simon: Dani Carvajal, Robin Le Normand, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Dani Olmo, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz; Lamine Yamal, Alvaro Morata, Nico Williams
England: Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Bukayo Saka, Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice, Luke Shaw, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane
FIFA Ranking:
Spain (8), England (5)
Head to head record:
27 games:
10 victories for Spain
13 for England
4 draws
Last five games:
Spain: www.ww.com
England: WWDDWW
