England face Spain in the Uefa Nations League on Saturday at Wembley Stadium, with kick-off at 7.45pm BST (2.45pm ET). The match is available to watch on ITV1 in the United Kingdom, FS2 in the United States (stream on Fubo) and via streaming in Canada.
Tuchel under pressure after World Cup exit
Thomas Tuchel still has not been forgiven by a large swath of the England support who remember how the German’s game management contributed to the Three Lions’ collapse against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final this summer. Saturday’s Nations League opener is something of a referendum on his continued employment, with a defeat and a poor performance set to add to the noise around the England manager.
Spain, by contrast, have no such problems. Luis de la Fuente and his players are still basking in the glow of World Cup glory and have another opportunity to demonstrate why they are the team to beat in international soccer.
Team news and what to watch for
Tuchel must show he can evolve England’s playing style. At the World Cup, his team played a generally conservative game that cost them in the semi-finals, when Argentina fought back. The selection of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Morgan Gibbs-White suggests Tuchel is willing to release the handbrake, although the withdrawals of Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Marcus Rashford and Tino Livramento due to injury limited his options.
Spain’s squad is stacked with talent in all areas, with Pedro Porro the only member of the team that started the World Cup final unavailable for the trip to Wembley. The world champions are expected to control the majority of the match, limiting England to quick transition moments.
Player to watch
Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, has started the season in exceptional form. The forward has found the net seven times in six games for Paris Saint-Germain and could carry that form into Saturday’s international outing.
