England v Spain: can Lamine Yamal make the difference at Wembley?

Wembley hosts a major UEFA Nations League meeting on Saturday as England begin their 2026-27 campaign against reigning world and European champions Spain.

The two sides are in Group 3 of League A, with the top two teams qualifying for the quarter-finals. It will be their first meeting since Spain beat England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final.

England return to Nations League action two months after finishing third at the 2026 World Cup. Thomas Tuchel’s side lost 2-1 to Argentina in the semi-final before beating France 6-4 in the third-place play-off.

Tuchel faced strong criticism for his management of the defeat by Argentina, particularly during the closing stages, and some called for the German to leave his post. He remains in charge and is now directing the Three Lions towards the next phase.

England will play four matches during this international break. After Saturday’s game, they visit Czech Republic on 29 September, host Croatia on 3 October and then welcome Czech Republic on 6 October.

The Three Lions competed in League B in 2024-25 before securing promotion back to League A. Their best Nations League finish remains third place in 2018-19. England lead the overall head-to-head record, with 14 wins and 11 defeats in 28 meetings across all competitions.

Spain arrive as the leading side in the FIFA rankings after winning the 2026 World Cup with a 1-0 final victory over Argentina. Luis de la Fuente guided them to that success and has extended his contract as manager until at least 2032.

Spain won the Nations League in 2022-23 by beating Croatia in the final. They were also runners-up in 2020-21 and 2024-25, losing the latter final to Portugal on penalties. They have not lost in normal time since a friendly against Colombia in March 2024.

Spain are expected to be among the favourites for the competition and will also face Croatia away and at home during this break, with a home fixture against Czech Republic between those matches.

Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento are unavailable for England because of injury. Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner received late call-ups, while Newcastle United defender Lewis Hall is a doubt after missing Wednesday’s training session.

Jarell Quansah could start at right-back ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold, with Alex Scott a possible replacement for Rice in midfield. Tuchel may select a quartet of Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane in attack.

For Spain, Joan Garcia and Pedro Porro are injured, while Marcos Llorente has retired from international football. Gavi and Borja Iglesias were omitted, with uncapped players Ivan Fresneda and Roberto Fernandez included.

Eric Garcia could play at right-back, while Pedri’s form for FC Barcelona may see him chosen ahead of Fabian Ruiz. Nico Williams is expected to feature on the left, and Mikel Oyarzabal could lead the attack instead of Ferran Torres, despite Torres scoring seven goals in six matches for Paris Saint-Germain this season.

The suggested markets are both teams to score and fewer than 4.5 goals at 1.91, Harry Kane to score at 2.57, and Lamine Yamal to provide a decisive contribution at 2.10. The prediction is for Spain to claim another victory, although an England win would not be a surprise.

Probable England XI: Pickford; Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Scott; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane.

Probable Spain XI: Simon; E. Garcia, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, N. Williams; Oyarzabal.