Prediction and Preview : England vs Spain Women’s EURO quarter-final
England will meet Spain in the Women’s Euro 2022 quarter-finals at the Amex Stadium. After cruising through the group stage in grand fashion, hosts England now face a Spain team that is in the knockout rounds for the fourth time in four attempts. The match will take place after the Lionesses won Group A and their opponents finished second in Group B.
England destroyed the record books as they breezed through the group stage, but no one is fooled: this is the toughest test yet. Spain was one of the pre-tournament favourites and had only lost one of their past 26 games. While they have battled for a positive outcome, Jorge Vilda is convinced the dam will break at some time – whether they can hold off the Lionesses at the other end is another question. This has the potential to be a classic.
Neutrals will be expecting for a more interesting contest than the two countries’ first meeting in the Arnold Clark Cup in February. Despite an abundance of offensive skill on both sides, the game ended in a 0-0 stalemate. England, on the other hand, appears to be a different beast in this competition on home territory, scoring for pleasure as they won three matches out of three to clinch Group A, scoring fourteen goals in the process.
England were among the favourites at the start of Euro 2022, looking excellent under Sarina Wiegman and hosting the event – five years after the Netherlands won Euro 2017 at home. With each passing game at Euro 2022, though, anticipation among England fans grows that the Lionesses will win their first major championship. The group stage was a record-breaking one for England, who won all three matches for the second consecutive tournament.
England began Euro 2022 with a tense 1-0 win against Austria before smashing through their toughest test of the group, Norway, 8-0 at the Amex Stadium, a true statement of purpose from Wiegman’s team that also clinched top position with one game to spare. The Lionesses finished the group stage with a 5-0 win over Northern Ireland, bringing their overall goal count to 14, the highest ever scored in a Women’s European Championships group stage.
Their opponents are pre-tournament favourites Spain, but La Roja’s path to the quarter-finals hasn’t been as straightforward. Spain’s position as favourites before the game was partly owing to the success of Barcelona, which has nine players in the current team – not including Alexia Putellas and Jenni Hermoso, both of whom had to withdraw due to injury. But Spain isn’t Barcelona, and it lacks crucial players like Caroline Graham Hansen, Lieke Martens, and Asisat Oshoala.
Coach: Jorge Vilda, Spain “We have 23 fighters who will put their heart and soul into every ball, challenge, attack or defence, dead ball, every minute of the game. There are 11 athletes that will give their all and play with their heart and soul. People will remember this match for the rest of their life. I envision Spain playing a quarter-final versus England in a home EURO they had organised, with a Spain squad playing in a large Spanish stadium. This, I believe, may take away more than it offers.”
Despite winning their first game 4-1 against Finland, Spain surrendered in the first minute against the underdogs, who had a lot of success exposing La Roja’s frailty, and a stronger team would have punished them much more. Germany was the superior team in the second game, defeating Spain 2-0 to leave their qualification hanging in the balance, requiring at least a draw against Denmark to advance. They eventually got that positive outcome due to Marta Cardona’s 90th-minute goal, and while England will have a lot to be happy about, Spain are still a very excellent team that should not be underestimated.
England coach Sarina Wiegman: “I believe Spain will have a lot of possession; that’s just how they play with their possession and tightness on the ball, which is fine. But I think we’ll have more of the ball than 20 percent (the previous time the teams met) since we’re also fairly tight on the ball. If required, we have players that can have a significant influence on the game or provide an extra boost. We’ve demonstrated this in previous games. It’s one of our team’s strengths.”
England Players to watch : Fran Kirby, Beth Mead, Ellen White
Spain Players to watch : Aitana Bonmatí, Marta Cardona, Irene Paredes
England defender Leah Williamson: “Ideally, you’d have everyone available, but we’re fortunate to have such a well-prepared team. Despite our dissatisfaction, we are not deterred. Sarina has been in touch with us (despite being away from the players due to Covid) and her effect on the game has been as normal as possible.”
England: Williamson, Walsh, Mead, White, Hemp, Earps, Bronze, Bright, Daly, Stanway, Kirby
Spain: Carmona, Bonmatí, Abelleira, Cardona, González, Caldentey, Guijarro, Paños, Batlle, Paredes, Mapi León,
The winner of this game will play the winner of quarterfinal 3, which is between Sweden and Belgium, in the first semi-final on Tuesday, July 26 in Sheffield.
