Spain vs England Prediction: The Expert Views from our La Liga Tipster

It is time for the grand final of Euro 2024 and whilst we’ve had a lot of views from England supporters here on Betfred Insights, it would be remiss of our not to include out La Liga Tipster ahead of the big game.

So check out Mark’s Spain vs England Predictions as we get the view from our Spanish Football Expert…

After four weeks of action, it’s England against Spain in the final of Euro 2024. It’s a side that was viewed by many as the favourites heading into the Euros, up against a team that has exceeded all expectations and played comfortably the best football at the tournament.

Spain have rightly received all the plaudits over the past few weeks and it feels like just about everything has gone right for them in Germany.

Luis de la Fuente deserves credit for being bold and putting his faith in two young, attack-minded wingers when it might have been easier to play just one, along with a more conservative option. Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have certainly repaid him with some sparkling displays, with the latter scoring a wonderful, long-range goal to sink France in the semi-final in midweek.

The presence of both has helped give Spain a balance that none of the other major forces have been able to replicate at this tournament. Rodri has been instrumental at the base of midfield which is no surprise, but key to their success is how other players, many of whom previously divided opinion within Spain, have stepped up and produced their best football at a Euros where so many big names have under-performed.

In defence, Marc Cucurella has been outstanding, while doubts about Aymeric Laporte’s level after a season in Saudi Arabia have proved completely unfounded. Midfielder Fabián Ruiz has also silenced a lot of his critics with some excellent displays with two goals and two assists for the PSG man at this tournament, matching his total number of goal contributions from the entire Ligue 1 season.

Arguably Spain’s best performer though has been a player who has only started two matches but has been incredibly influential in the knockout stages. Dani Olmo has either scored or assisted four of La Roja’s last five goals as they’ve swept past Germany and France to reach the final.

Having also faced Croatia and Italy in the group stage, Spain’s run to the final could not realistically have been any tougher and they’ve won all six matches at this tournament, needing Extra Time on just one occasion against the hosts in the quarter-finals.

On Sunday, they’ll face a former world champion for the fourth time at Euro 2024 and they’ll do so as favourites but certainly wary of the quality that exists in an England side that has grown into the tournament and continued to find a way through.

The outside perception of the Three Lions at this tournament hasn’t been wildly different to how their performances have gone down with the English media and public. Gareth Southgate has been criticised for conservative football and an inability to find a system capable of getting the best out of one of the most talented English sides to grace a major tournament.

What can’t be denied though, is that across Southgate’s reign, England have become a respected force in European and world football again, their place expected in the latter stages of major tournaments with a team that is no longer viewed as likely to crack under the intense pressure of knockout football.

England will play their first ever final on foreign soil on Sunday, having sneaked past Slovakia and Switzerland in unconvincing fashion, but it was a genuinely impressive performance against The Netherlands in the semi-final in their biggest test to date.

The big ace in Southgate’s pack on Sunday may be the quality he has to bring off the bench at a tournament where the decisive actions have so often come from substitutes. While some of Spain’s most likely attacking substitutes are little more than fringe players at their clubs, England will be able to count on the likes of Cole Palmer and Ollie Watkins who registered 41 goals and 24 assists between them in the Premier League last season.

The duo combined brilliantly to sink the Netherlands in the final minute on Wednesday night and while they head into this final as the underdogs, there is a sense that the longer this game stays level, the more the pendulum may start to swing in England’s favour.

Team News:

There are unlikely to be any major surprises in the two lineups on Sunday with perhaps one big call for each manager to make.

Luis de la Fuente must decide whether to recall Robin Le Normand in central defence or stick with Nacho who filled in for the suspended Real Sociedad man in the last round. Dani Carvajal also returns from a ban and will replace Jesús Navas at right back. Álvaro Morata is fit despite an unfortunate collision with a security guard as Spain celebrated their last four win over France, but Pedri misses out through injury again.

As for England, it could be an unchanged eleven from the semi-final, with Kieran Trippier expected to be fit to start, although Luke Shaw is an alternative option on the left. Watkins and Palmer will almost certainly remain on the bench despite their impact against the Dutch.

Spain vs England Odds:

Spain start as the 6/4 favourites to win the game in 90 minutes, with the Draw on offer at 15/8 while you can back England at 12/5.

Both teams to score is on offer at 11/10, a winning bet in all of England’s knockout games and all of Spain’s knockout games at this tournament. Meanwhile you can back Over 2.5 Goals at 6/4.

Harry Kane leads the way at 9/2 to score first and 21/10 to score anytime, while you can back Álvaro Morata to score anytime at 9/4. You can also get odds of 7/2 for Lamine Yamal, 4/1 for Phil Foden and 9/2 for Bukayo Saka in the anytime goalscorer market.

If you see this going beyond the 90 minutes, England are available at 12/1 to win in Extra Time and 8/1 to win on penalties.

There are also a range of #PickYourPunt builder boosts for this game, with England Most Booking Points & Spain Most Corners looking pretty good at 7/2. Meanwhile, Bellingham and Laporte to commit 2+ fouls each has been boosted to 6/1.

Bet 1 – Jude Bellingham 1+ shots on target @ 7/5

It hasn’t been a vintage tournament overall from Jude Bellingham, but he has proven beyond any doubt over the past year for club and country that he is a player who rises to the big stage and frequently delivers when it matters most. While he has looked tired at times in this tournament, I can see Bellingham finding enough gas in the tank for one last effort in a remarkable season, which should enable him to have a real impact on this game.

Gareth Southgate has made some big calls and replaced star players Harry Kane and Phil Foden in the last round, but he’s clearly reluctant to take Bellingham off and it’s hard to see a situation where he doesn’t complete the full 90 minutes on Sunday.

Given that, I can see the Real Madrid man having at least one big moment in this final and I’m backing Bellingham to have 1+ shots on target at 7/5.

Bet 2 – Dani Olmo to score anytime @ 18/5

Dani Olmo has benefited from Pedri’s injury but he was already making a really strong case for his inclusion in Spain’s starting eleven. Despite only clocking up 341 minutes, Olmo heads into the final as the joint top scorer at this tournament on three goals along with five other players, including England’s Harry Kane.

He has produced numerous moments of quality and has been given real licence by Luis de la Fuente to float around and make bursts into the penalty area. While England’s primary defensive objective may be to try to keep Williams and Lamine Yamal quiet on the flanks, the RB Leipzig man’s unpredictable movement may be much tougher to track and I’m backing a confident Dani Olmo to score anytime at 18/5.

Bet 3 – Spain 2-1 England @ 9/1

In terms of individual quality, there is not much to choose between these teams and you could make a strong case for saying England have the edge in that department. However in terms of players who look fresh and on top of their game and in terms of overall team cohesion, Spain have been well clear of all of their main rivals at this tournament, including their opponents on Sunday.

The Three Lions will be hoping that it’s individual moments that decide this game in their favour, but if Spain can hold their nerve and replicate the level they’ve shown throughout this tournament, they may just have the edge in a competitive game and I’m going with Spain to win 2-1 in the Correct Score market at 9/1.

You can get all the latest betting prices for all the matches in this tournament on our Euro 2024 Odds page over on betfred.com

Betfred Match Offers:

Goal Fever

Throughout Euro 2024, Betfred are offering all customers a 25% cash bonus if your selected team in the Match Result market wins by 3+ Goals on selected matches. The Euro 2024 Final between Spain and England is part of this promotion, so if you back and team and they win by three or more, you would see 25% added to your winnings on that bet.

Double Delight & Hat-Trick Heaven

This Spain vs England game is also one for those who like a bit of a potential bonus in the first goalscorer markets. Should the player you bet on score first and subsequently go on to score a second in the match, we’ll double the odds and if they get a hat-trick, we’ll treble the odds!

Extra Time Rules

Throughout the knock-out stages of Euro 2024, Betfred are paying out on anytime goalscorer and player cards markets for the full 120 minutes, not just the 90, should a match go to Extra Time.

Mark Sochon primarily covers Spanish football for us here at Betfred Insights and he’ll be following the Spanish national side throughout the Euro’s for us. You can check out his and all the other Football Betting Tips from our writing staff on our main Football hub page.