Spain vs France: UEFA Nations League team news and prediction
It's the UEFA Nations Final tonight as Spain and France battle to be crowned champions of the competition having beaten Italy and Belgium, respectively, in midweek.
Ahead of this one, we provide the key pre-match information, including where to watch the game, where the final takes place, team news and probable XIs...
When is kick off?
Sunday 10th October, 19:45 GMT
Where is the match?
San Siro, Milan (Italy)
What TV channel is it on?
Sky Sports Football / Sky Sports Premier League
Spain were impressive in the first half against Italy last week as they headed in at the break with a two-goal advantage courtesy of Ferran Torres' first half brace, the Manchester City striker scoring either side of Leonardo Bonucci's red card. Lorenzo Pellegrini set up a nervy finish in Milan, the Roma midfielder halving the deficit seven minutes from time, but Spain were dominant to end Italy's 37-game unbeaten streak and deserving winners at the Giuseppe Meazza.
France were 2-0 down at the interval against Belgium in Turin last week courtesy of goals from Yannick Carrasco and Romelu Lukaku, but Didier Deschamps' side rallied well to earn a 3-2 win and set up a final meeting with Spain. Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net in the space of seven second half minutes, and it was AC Milan's Theo Hernandez who bagged the winner in injury time to complete the turnaround.
Team News
Spain boss Luis Enrique is hopeful that Ferran Torres will recover from a knock sustained in the 2-1 win over Italy to feature in attack, the youngster forced off five minutes after the restart. Other than that, Enrique has no further absentee concerns for tonight's final meeting with France. Gavi was a surprise starter against the Italy, but performed well and should keep his spot. Marcos Alonso's spot at left-back is up for grabs, with Sergio Reguilon his obvious replacement.
Adrien Rabiot has withdrawn from the France squad after testing positive for COVID-19, and his absence should see Aurelien Tchouameni feature alongside Paul Pogba in the middle of the park. Didier Deschamps used a three-man backline to counter Belgium last week and may start with the same system here. That would see Lucas Hernandez and Jules Kounde flank Raphael Varane in defence, with Thursday's match winner Theo Hernandez operating at left wing-back after Lucas Digne pulled out of the game owing to a hamstring issue.
Probable XIs
Spain (433) - Simon; Azpilicueta, Laporte, P. Torres, Reguilon; Koke, Busquets, Gavi; F. Torres, Sarabia, Oyarzabal
France (3412) - Lloris; Kounde, Varane, L. Hernandez; Pavard, Tchouameni, Pogba, T. Hernandez; Griezmann; Benzema, Mbappe
Key Battle: Aymeric Laporte vs Raphael Varane
After watching from the sidelines for much of last season, Aymeric Laporte has been a first team regular for Manchester City this term and now a fully fledged Spain international, the centre-back is looking to play a key role in La Roja's first senior final since Euro 2012. Laporte sets the tempo from defence and he'll need to be at his very best to keep the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema at bay tonight.
Things could have been so much different for France had Laporte elected to not switch allegiances. Indeed, we may've seen a partnership of the City star and Raphael Varane, who has been solid in defence for Manchester United following his high profile move to Old Trafford from Real Madrid.
Score Prediction: Spain 2-1 France
