Good evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for this glamour friendly between reigning European champions Spain and England in Alicante. Both sides comfortably qualified for Euro 2016 and begin to look forward to France next summer in their opening warm-up game this evening. It may be a friendly in name, but time is running out for some players to impress so there is still plenty to play for tonight. Let's start with a look at the two teams...

SPAIN STARTING XI: Casillas; Mario Gaspar, Piqué, Bartra, Alba; Thiago, Busquets, Iniesta, Fàbregas, Alcacer; Costa

ENGLAND STARTING XI: Hart; Walker, Jones, Smalling, Bertrand; Carrick, Lallana, Delph, Barkley, Sterling; Kane

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, Spain make seven changes to the side that featured last time out against Ukraine but, despite this being a friendly, it is probably closer to Vicente del Bosque's first-choice side than the one that ran out last month. Perhaps that is not true in goal, with David de Gea expected to be number one in the build-up to Euro 2016, but Iker Casillas returns between the sticks tonight for his 165th (!!!) cap.

Perhaps the most notable inclusion for the hosts is that of Diego Costa leading the line. La Roja are lacking a real star striker at the moment and, while last season's form suggested that Costa may be the man to fill the void left by David Villa, his performances this term and his record at international level begs to differ. He only has one goal in nine games since opting to play for Spain ahead of Brazil, and with the likes of Alcacer, Morata and Nolito also in contention, that is not going to be a good enough record to make him the undisputed number one striker.

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Alcacer does also start tonight as one of only four players to keep their place from the win over Ukraine, with two more coming in midfield in the shape of Thiago and Cesc Fabregas. It is a vastly experienced Spanish midfield, with Fabregas being joined by Barcelona pair Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta, and they will no doubt be looking to tap into that experience against what is a comparatively novice England midfield.

Mario Gaspar is the fourth player to retain his place in the starting lineup, but alongside him it is all change in the defence as three Barcelona men come into the side. Gerard Pique has been there and done it all with Spain, while also having experience playing in England with Manchester United earlier in his career. Bartra has much less experience at this level, with just six caps to his name, but he couldn't ask for a better player to learn from at both club and international level. Alba, meanwhile, is rightly regarded as one of the world's best left-backs.

It is a team bristling with talent, then, but all the talk from the England camp this week has surrounded the young, exciting nature of their squad in the build-up to Euro 2016. It certainly does have time on its side, with Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick the only players above 30 in the whole squad, and the latter of those the only one to start tonight. Experience can be so key, however, and for many of these players they will not have come up against a side with the quality of Spain too often.

As promised by Hodgson, there is no Rooney in the starting lineup this evening, but England's record goalscorer is on the bench and could come on to equal Bobby Moore's tally of 108 caps. In his and the injured Vardy's absence, it is Harry Kane who leads the line for the Three Lions tonight, with the Spurs striker having scored six goals in his last four games in all competitions.

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Behind him, the likes of Sterling and Barkley should provide some exciting support, with the latter having enjoyed a return to form for club and country so far this season. Rooney is obviously high up the pecking order for the number 10 role, but former England captain Terry Butcher recently expressed his belief that Hodgson should build his team around Barkley, and that seems to be a growing belief shared by many. He certainly can be a game-changer when on form, and the same applies for Sterling alongside him.

Carrick is the elder statesman of the side at the age of 34, although there is experience between the sticks too as Joe Hart returns having seen Jack Butland start against Lithuania last time out. Manchester United duo Jones and Smalling partner up in central defence, which is somewhat surprising considering this is a chance for Hodgson to experiment and perhaps give Stones a run-out against top-level opposition. He only makes the bench, but there are also starts for Bertrand, Lallana and Delph.

On paper, then, there is no doubt that Spain have the greater experience and, you'd have to say, look the better side. However, they will know that England will be a big test for them and, just as the Three Lions will be using this as a marker to see where they are, so will Spain. La Roja didn't come through their qualifying group for the Euros unscathed, losing to Slovakia in just their second match, but they responded to that with eight wins on the bounce to comfortable reach the finals.

Indeed, their final tally of 27 points (nine wins, one loss) was better only by England and Austria in the whole of the qualifying campaign, while only Romania conceded fewer goals than La Roja. It may perhaps be a minor concern that they 'only' scored 23 goals, with five teams managing more, but it should also be noted that the teams who did score more than Spain had one of Andorra, Gibraltar or San Marino in their group.

Even so, goals have been a bit of an issue of late, which of course ties in with their search for a prolific first-choice striker at international level. They have only scored more than two in a game on one occasion in their last nine outings which, while not being cause to ring the alarm bells, is still a surprising statistic for a team of Spain's calibre. Del Bosque is not adverse to playing a false striker, of course, but with the likes of Costa and Morata in the squad he will be hoping that someone hits the goal trail sooner rather than later.

It is at the other end of the pitch where Spain have been most impressive recently. They have kept clean sheets in each of their last five matches, a run that stretches back to a 2-1 victory over Costa Rica in June. That has helped them to a six-game winning streak coming into tonight's game, with the last defeat arriving in March when they were beaten by Netherlands 2-0.

That defeat came in a friendly, and Spain have a surprisingly poor record in friendlies of late, losing three of their last four, all without scoring. Indeed, of their friendlies against the traditional powerhouses of international football, they have only beaten Italy since 2010, losing to Argentina, Portugal, Italy, England, France, Germany and Netherlands in that time.

They may be in fine form coming into this match, but the aura of invincibility around them has lessened somewhat in recent years. They remain European champions, but their world crown was taken from them by Germany last year, with Spain being eliminated in the group stages in Brazil. Del Bosque's side have now lost six of their last 17 outings, which is the same number as they lost in the 60 games prior to that.

They have dropped to sixth in the FIFA rankings as a result, but they are still a formidable force on home soil. They have a 100% record in front of their own fans this calendar year, playing four and winning four, while they have won 10 of their last 11 home outings. The exception to that was a 1-0 loss to Germany a year ago, which remains their only defeat in their last 40 home games.

It would be a special achievement if England were to manage to win tonight, then, but the visitors should approach the match full of confidence. Like Spain, they are in fine form at the moment, although tonight's test will be their first major challenge before the Euros next summer. It is tough to get a true grasp of where the team is during qualifying, but this game, in addition to the match against Euro 2016 hosts France on Tuesday, should give England a better idea.

You can only beat the teams that are put in front of you, though, and that is exactly what England did during qualifying. They became the first team to book their spot at next summer's tournament, with the exception of hosts France, qualifying in record time with a couple of games to spare. They went on to win against both Estonia and Lithuania last month to seal a perfect qualifying record for the first time in their history, becoming only the sixth nation to achieve that feat.

Of course, success in qualifying does not guarantee success at major tournaments, as England know all too well, and only one of the five previous prefect qualifiers actually went on to lift the trophy - Spain in Euro 2012. Even so, there is cause for optimism from England fans, and they seem to be doing as much as they can to prepare themselves for next summer's tournament. In addition to tonight's game and the one against France on Tuesday, they are pencilled in for further glamour friendlies against Germany and Netherlands in March.

A concern ahead of those matches will be that they haven't beaten a team of the top calibre since a 2-1 triumph over Brazil in February 2013, and four losses in a row heading into Euro 2016 is hardly going to do confidence any good. Their record in friendlies is encouraging, though, with Hodgson's side unbeaten in their last eight since back-to-back defeats at the hands of Chile and Germany at Wembley in November 2013. They have only won two of their last six, though, while both of their friendlies in 2015 have ended in draws.

They have, however, established themselves as a very tough team to beat. It is now 15 matches and 17 months since the Three Lions last tasted defeat, although that bitter taste may not be completely gone yet as it was the one that saw them knocked out of the World Cup with a game to spare. Since the 2-1 loss to Uruguay, though, they have won 12 games, including each of their last five.

During that ongoing five-game winning streak, Roy Hodgson's side have scored 16 and conceded just two, and the balance of the team is perhaps the most encouraging aspect of England at the moment. They ended Euro 2016 qualifying with the best goal difference of any side, scoring the second-most (31) and conceding the joint-second least (three). They have kept four clean sheets in a row heading into tonight's game and 11 in their last 15 games, conceding only five goals and scoring 36 in that time. They have also only conceded more than once in a game on one occasion in their last 15 outings.

Away from home the signs are good too. Since the World Cup England are unbeaten in nine away games, winning six of those including each of their last three. France next summer will not feel as far away from home as Brazil last term, which should only help Roy Hodgson's side, but they will be happy with their record on their travels and another victory tonight would be a huge feather in their cap.

PREDICTION: We're 10 minutes from kickoff in Alicante, which means that it is time for a prediction! Both sides are in very good form and neither tend to concede many goals, so I can see this one being a low-scoring affair. Spain just look to have the edge in terms of quality in their side, though, and coupled with home advantage that should be enough to give them the win. I'm going for 1-0 to La Roja.

Spain have won three of their last four meetings with England, but it was actually the Three Lions who came out on top the last time these two sides played each other. That came almost exactly four years ago, when a Frank Lampard goal was all that separated the two teams at Wembley.

England's last visit to Spain ended in defeat, however, with David Villa and Fernando Llorente giving La Roja a 2-0 win in February 2009. Indeed, England have not won on Spanish soil since 1987, when Gary Lineker scored all four of his side's goals in a 4-2 triumph for Bobby Robson's side. Lineker's goals would have been all the more pleasing for him as they came against his then-Barcelona club teammate Andoni Zubizarreta. England, though, have failed to even find the net once in their last three visits to Spain.

Spain's last international in Alicante came in 2011, and once again the visitors were British as Scotland succumbed to a 3-1 defeat. Spain have never been beaten here, winning six of their seven matches in Alicante, with the only exception being a draw with Hungary in 1977. This match was actually originally scheduled to take place in the Bernabeu, but the hosts have a chance to maintain their unbeaten Alicante record instead now.

Right, we're just about ready to go now. These two sides haven't met in a competitive fixture since England went through to the semi-finals of Euro 96 on penalties after a 0-0 draw between the two sides. There is nowhere near as much riding on this one, but both sides will want to impress.

KICKOFF: Spain get us underway in Alicante as both they and England kick off their Euro 2016 preparations.

Many of these England players will not be used to spending a long time without the ball, particularly with the Three Lions on their chest, but that is likely to be the case tonight so it will be interesting to see how they cope with that.

As has been the case with many of Spain's matches recently, Pique is being whistled by the home fans every time he gets the ball. It's not nice to hear, and there is no doubt that this would be a weakened team without the Barcelona centre-back.

SHOT! Bright play from England as Lallana and Barkley combine to work the ball out to Sterling on the left. The Man City winger cuts inside and lashes an effort towards goal, but it flies a few yards over the top.

SHOT! Another shooting chance for England as Spain are uncharacteristically sloppy in possession, with Iniesta gifting the ball to Barkley in a good position. The Everton man picks the ball up and only has one thing on his mind, but he drags a tame effort wide of the target.

Smalling is called into action twice in quick succession as his first clearance only goes as far as Fabregas, but the United man is then able to mop up. He picks up a knock while clearing the ball, but should be fine to continue.

The referee has blown up for a few very soft fouls already, which is something England may need to be wary of. Things that they might get away with in the Premier League are being penalised tonight and, while cards are always scarce in friendlies, they won't want to give too many free kicks away.

Vital piece of defending from Mario as he stretches his leg out to poke the ball away from a rampaging Delph. The England man had already beaten a couple of red shirts and looked to be getting past Mario and into the box, but despite slipping, he manages to make the tackle.

CLOSE! Some patient play from Spain ends when England win the ball back, but Sterling immediately loses it to Pique, who strides out of defence and plays a one-two. When he gets the ball back he goes for goal from just outside the area, but his effort deflects narrowly wide.

England have made a decent enough start to this match, but Spain are starting to flex their muscles now. They are getting more threatening and England are struggling to get out of their own half right now.

Lovely football from Spain down the left as a few short, sharp passes give Alba a chance to fizz a cross into the middle. It is aimed towards Alcacer, but Smalling bravely gets his head to the ball to clear the danger.

The whistles for Pique have now been joined and even drowned out by cheers, so it certainly isn't the whole ground against the Barcelona man.

CLOSE! Half a chance for Costa as he finds space inside the area, but slips at the vital moment which allows Jones to come across. From the resulting corner the ball drops to Busquets, whose volley bounces narrowly wide and is even closer to being turned in by Bartra on its way through.

The difference in the ability to keep the ball between these two sides is clear to see. England just have not been able to build any sort of possession moves so far tonight, while Spain are, of course, the masters of that. The hosts haven't tested Joe Hart yet, but it is surely only a matter of time if it carries on like this.

SPAIN SUB: The hosts are forced into an early change before the half-hour mark as Thiago goes down with what looks like a muscle injury. It doesn't exactly weaken Spain much, however, as Santi Cazorla comes on in his place.

Better from England as Delph feeds the ball in to Sterling, who in turn works it out to the marauding Bertrand. He fires a good low ball into the box, but it is just too far in front of Kane and runs through to safety.

CHANCE! Spain's pressing causes England to give the ball away inside their own half, which isn't the first time that has happened tonight. This time Iniesta immediately releases Paco Alcacer, but he drags his effort wide of the far post.

Another nice piece of football from England sees Barkley play a lovely through-ball down the left for Sterling. The Man City man is in a good position, but his cross is comfortably dealt with.

CLOSE! Very nearly an opening goal for the hosts here, and it is the Fabregas-Costa axis that was so deadly last season that provides the chance. Fabregas picks out a lovely pass across the box to find his Chelsea teammate, who sets himself before bending an effort narrowly past the far post.

SHOT! At the other end England come forward in numbers, with Barkley spinning away from one red shirt just inside his own half before bursting through the middle with the ball at his feet. He has teammates either side of him, but it opens up for the shot and he can't resist. The finish is disappointing, however, as he drags it tamely wide.

CHANCE! More good work from England, and again it comes down the left through Bertrand. He fizzes another dangerous low ball into the box that Lallana just can't poke in as Alba gets there first. The ball bounces to Kane, but his shot on the turn hits Pique and trickles into the grateful arms of Casillas.

There have been a few more signs of life from England's attack in the last 10 minutes or so. It was one-way traffic midway through the half and it seemed like only a matter of time before Spain found a way through, but the visitors have stemmed the tide somewhat and are threatening at the other end now.

Spain deserve credit for the way they have pressed England when the visitors have been in possession, but England's passing has been pretty poor as well. They need to keep the ball better as, when they have done that, they have threatened in the final third.

By contrast, Spain are being given all the time they want on the ball, particularly around the halfway line. England look terrified to get too close to the Spanish players in case they simply pass the ball around them.

SAVE! England have been afforded a few sights of goal, though, and another arrives here as Cazorla gets caught in possession inside his own half. The loose ball is picked up by Delph, whose powerful low effort is straight at Casillas and collected at the second attempt.

England look like holding on until half time here, but there is no getting away from the fact that they have been outplayed for the majority of this game so far. It is such a big step up from their qualifiers.

CHANCE! The visitors have a chance to even snatch a lead before half time as some short, quick passing down the left sees them get into the box. The ball is eventually teed up for Kane, but he scuffs his shot wide when he should have done better.

There will be just the one minute of added time at the end of this first half.

The first half comes to an end in Alicante, then, and we are still goalless between Spain and England. If England were feeling particularly good about themselves having posted a perfect qualifying record, though, then that first half should be enough to bring them back down to earth. They have had their chances, but the difference in quality between the two sides was evident throughout.

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Clear-cut chances have been rare for either side, but perhaps the best of the lot fell to the hosts when the ball dropped to Busquets from a corner. His volley was very close to finding the bottom corner, but perhaps an even better chance was there for Bartra, who only needed to make the slightest touch to turn it in.

Paco Alcacer has also had a good sight of goal himself, only to drag his effort wide, while Pique saw one of this shots deflected narrowly past the upright. In truth, that is about the extent of Spain's chances, but their play on and off the ball has been significantly better than England's. They have pressed really well off the ball, which is causing the visitors to give it away far too often.

England have actually had more sights of goal than Spain and could be ahead at the break despite having had much less of the ball. Their shooting has been disappointing, though, with Barkley dragging a couple of long-range efforts wide of the target when he should have done better, and Kane skewing one of his own wide right at the end of the half. The Tottenham striker took a touch when he didn't really have time on the edge of the Spain box, and was subsequently rushed into his shot.

Delph and Sterling have both had goes from outside the box but, like Spain, there haven't really been any clear chances so far for the visitors. They need to improve in possession and could do with limiting some of Spain's time on the ball, but when they do get the ball moving nicely then they look capable of causing Spain problems. Defensively they have been solid too, but too often they have tried and failed to play the ball out from the back.

KICKOFF: England get us back underway for this second half, and the first thing to tell you is that there has been a change at the break. It comes from the home side as Iniesta makes way to be replaced by Nolito.

Sterling has started this second half out on the right side for England, but if there is one player in the Spain side who could match him for pace then it is probably Alba so it will be interesting to see those two in a foot race.

The second half has quickly settled into a similar pattern to the first, with Spain dominating the possession early on. Nolito has been fairly heavily involved already, with much of Spain's attacks coming down the left.

Almost a chance for Spain as they get in behind the England defence down that left flank, with the ball being slipped down the channel for Bartra. Hart comes a long way but is beaten to the ball by Bartra, who has too much to do to make anything of it.

More good football from Spain as the ball is poked past a white shirt twice in a row to send Alcacer down the left channel, but he cuts back rather than having a swing with his left foot and his eventual cross is cut out.

England's pressing has been better so far in this second half. They are giving Spain less time on the ball, but the hosts are still better equipped to deal with that sort of pressure than England are.

Almost a lovely ball from Sterling as he bends one towards Kane, who looks like he will be through on goal if it beats Bartra. However, the Spanish defender coolly intercepts it having made the gamble to try to cut it out.

Still Spain patiently search for a way through this England defence. The visitors have been good at the back today, and it is easy to see why they keep so many clean sheets, but they are bound to tire as the match progresses.

A hint of a chance for Costa as he picks the ball up inside the box and in a bit of space. He opts not to go for goal straight away, however, instead moving the ball onto his left and seeing his shot well blocked by Walker.

Walker is beaten by a perfectly-weighted pass over his head to Nolito, who then proceeds to beat the full-back twice himself. His eventual cross is a decent one, but Hart is there to palm it away.

Poor from England as Sterling moves forward with the ball and has three white shirts in front of him. It is a good attacking platform, but it breaks down when Sterling's attempted pass hits the heels of Kane.

ENGLAND SUBS: Roy Hodgson makes his first changes of the night, and it is a particularly special one for Eric Dier as he makes his debut. His Tottenham teammate Dele Alli is also on for just his third cap, with Delph and Lallana the men to make way.

SPAIN SUB: Spain also make a change as Juan Mata comes on to replace Costa.

CHANCES! Good chances for the hosts to break the deadlock, and they both come down the left. The first sees Alba fire a low cross into the box for Alcacer, who has a yard of space but completely misses the ball with his swipe. It quickly comes back, however, and Nolito does brilliantly to play Alba in before the full-back forces a save from Hart at the near post.

Spain are beginning to apply a bit of pressure here. They play a corner short and are allowed to get the ball into the box which Bartra tries to flick goalwards with an inventive effort. It only goes over the top, though.

CLOSE! At the other end England are close to making the breakthrough, although they are again limited to a shot from outside the area. Kane is given space to come forward and let fly, but his strike swerves just past the post. Casillas did look like he had it covered anyway.

Brilliant from Pique as, despite being penned onto his own byline with two white shirts closing him down, he pulls out a Cruyff turn into his own area and calmly spreads the ball out to Alba. Such composure from the centre-back, and unless my ears deceive me some of the crowd respond by chanting his name. Those earlier whistles have certainly subsided now.

Less than 20 minutes remain here and still it is goalless in Alicante. There is no doubt that this would be a good result for England.

Oh my word! Spain take the lead in the most spectacular fashion, and it is two in two for Mario Gaspar! They are often criticised for trying to score the perfect goal, but that may just be perfect in a different way. The ball is chipped to the right-back on the edge of the box, and he pulls off an outstanding acrobatic volley that flies into the top corner. Joe Hart had absolutely no chance. The Puskas Award nominees for this year have just come out, but don't be surprised to see that one in next year's selection. Incredible.

ENGLAND SUB: Hodgson was going to make this change before the goal, but on comes England's record goalscorer Wayne Rooney for his 108th cap, bringing him level with the great Bobby Moore. He replaces Barkley.

SPAIN SUB: Spain also make a change, with Pedro replacing Paco Alcacer.

CHANCE! Spain are almost in again as Fabregas threads a beauty of ball through that splits the defence in two. Mata is the man on the end of it but, as he tries to give it to Pedro for a tap-in, Hart makes a crucial tackle. That was very good goalkeeping from the England number one, who was quick off his line and alert to the danger.

SPAIN SUB: Another change for the hosts as Busquets, who appears to be carrying a slight knock, is replaced by Koke.

CHANCE! Decent sight of goal from England, and it is three Tottenham players involved. Walker starts the move down the right before the ball is fed inside to Dier. The debutant's reverse pass is a clever one in to Kane, but the striker slips at the vital moment and skews his effort well wide.

Here is a snapshot of that marvellous Spanish goal, which would be worthy of winning any game. If you don't do anything else tonight, make sure you watch that goal.

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SPAIN SUB: Another change for the hosts as Cesar Azpilicueta replaces Bartra.

SAVE! You don't often see this from Spain as Pedro lets fly from range. It is too hot for Hart to handle, but Pedro's rebound bounces kindly into the arms of the England keeper.

Surely game over as Spain get their second of the night, and it is the coolest finish from Cazorla. Hart's initial clearance put his side in trouble, with Spain winning the ball back high up the pitch. There is a question over offside against Nolito as he plays it to Cazorla, who just passes it into the bottom corner. Lovely finish.

YELLOW CARD! The first card of the night is shown to Hart for his protestations against that possible offside.

ENGLAND SUB: A change for England in the aftermath of that goal as Gary Cahill replaces Smalling.

Handbags between the two sides here as Walker is penalised for a foul and Alli responds by kicking the ball at the stricken Spanish player. The hosts react angrily and tempers flare, but the referee soon calms it down.

A late concern for England here as Carrick goes down with an apparent problem with his lower right leg. He was just caught late inadvertently and it looked rather innocuous, but he will need the stretcher here.

ENGLAND SUB: Off goes Carrick to be replaced by Jonjo Shelvey.

We are now into the second of three added minutes at the end of this match.

OFF THE BAR! England are close to pulling a goal back late on as Walker's driven cross arrives nicely for Rooney to volley goalwards. He doesn't catch it perfectly, but the ball bounces into the ground, up over the keeper and against the top of the crossbar.

CHANCES! Another opening for England to grab a consolation. Kane has the initial effort as he tries to bend one into the far corner that Casillas parries straight to Alli, but it is an awkward one for the youngster and he can't make the most of it.

England's 15-match unbeaten streak comes to an end, then, and they can't have too many complaints at Spain running out two-goal victors here. Both of the hosts' goals were right out of the top drawer, with Mario Gaspar's being one of the best you will see all season as he fired an acrobatic volley past Hart from the edge of the area. Cazorla's goal was a different style, but silky nonetheless as he passed the ball into the corner after being set up by Nolito. England had their moments and hit the bar late on through Rooney, but ultimately they were second best for much of this game tonight and it should act as a wake-up call for Hodgson's side.

That is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's friendly as Spain ease past England in Alicante to extend their winning streak to seven matches. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction, analysis and player ratings. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!