Spain v England preview: Tuchel targets victory in Madrid as Group A3 top spot goes down to the wire
Spain v England preview: Thomas Tuchel's side must win at the Metropolitano on Sunday to take top spot in Nations League Group A3 from Luis de la Fuente's perfect Spain.
Spain v England in Madrid on Sunday decides who tops Nations League Group A3, and Thomas Tuchel knows only a win will do against a Spain side with a perfect record.
Both sides are already through to the quarter-finals in March. What is still up for grabs is first place, and with it what Al Jazeera describes as a more favourable quarter-final draw.
Kick-off at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano is 7.45pm UK time. Frenchman Clément Turpin is the referee.
What is at stake in Spain v England
Spain have won all five group games and sit on 15 points. England have 12 after four wins and one defeat, and that defeat came against Spain, who won 3-2 at Wembley in September.
Spain are guaranteed top spot if they avoid defeat. England need to win to take the group, which is why Tuchel framed the game in simple terms when he spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live. “The winner takes it all,” he said, calling it “a final for the group victory”.
England warmed up with a 2-1 win over Croatia at Wembley on Thursday. Morgan Rogers opened the scoring, Petar Sučić levelled and Harry Kane won it from the penalty spot, a night we built up to in our England v Croatia preview. It was a much tighter affair than the 7-0 rout in Rijeka in October.
Form and head-to-head
| Spain | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Group A3 position | 1st | 2nd |
| Points | 15 | 12 |
| Goal difference | +9 | +12 |
| Nations League form | WWWWW | LWWWW |
| Last meeting | England 2-3 Spain (26 Sept 2026) | |
| Previous meeting | Spain 2-1 England (Euro 2024 final) | |
Spain have the edge in recent meetings, winning the last two. England’s last win over them came in Seville in October 2018, when they won 3-2 in the Nations League.
Luis de la Fuente’s side have been relentless at home too, beating Croatia 4-1 and Czechia 3-1, as covered in our report on Spain’s win over Czechia in Oviedo. De la Fuente said his players “want to keep setting new milestones”.
Team news
Spain expect Lamine Yamal back after he missed their last game with a knee problem, according to Al Jazeera. Nico Williams and Aymeric Laporte are doubts.
For England, Myles Lewis-Skelly is available again after a one-match ban and Ezri Konsa is expected to return. Marc Guéhi is out with a muscle injury, while Djed Spence’s fitness is unclear: ESPN says he is back in contention, Al Jazeera lists him as a doubt.
Tuchel also has a call to make in goal. Jordan Pickford started against Croatia, but ESPN reports the England boss has been open to sharing games with James Trafford. Whoever plays, Tuchel was bullish. “I think we’re there, and I think we’re ready to win on Sunday,” he said.
England’s line-up has been a talking point for months. Our sister site DGBN looked at the big selection calls in Bellingham at number 10 and Saka’s place under Tuchel.
