Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has said that his side will have to be at their best to overcome a "powerful" England outfit in the final of this summer's European Championship.

La Roja booked their spot in the Euro 2024 final on Tuesday evening courtesy of a 2-1 success over France, before England beat Netherlands 2-1 on Wednesday to join them in the showpiece event.

Spain have arguably been the best side at this summer's European Championship, winning all six of their matches, including successes over Croatia, Italy, Germany and France.

England, on the other hand, have been widely criticised for their performances this summer, and they were in the so-called easier side of the draw.

De la Fuente said that England, France and Germany were the three pre-tournament favourites, and the Spain boss has highlighted the threat that his side will face this weekend.

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Spain will tackle England in Euro 2024 final

"Before starting the tournament, England and France would have been favourites, as well as Germany for the fact they were playing at home," De la Fuente told reporters.

"We have had the chance to keep overcoming those games [against the favourites] and now we have another huge match. Maybe Spain have offered a better version so far at the finals [than England], but that won't have any influence on a one-off game.

"England have quality players that can appear at any moment. We are up against a really powerful side full of experience, not just in terms of the national team, but at club level as well. It's going to be tough.

"But we're looking forward to this one. We want to keep growing. This group of players are going to keep fighting to try and win the trophy."

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When did Spain last face England?

The two nations last locked horns in the UEFA Nations League back in October 2018, with England running out 3-2 winners over Spain.

Raheem Sterling scored a brace for the Three Lions in that particular contest, while Marcus Rashford also registered, but neither player are with the squad this summer.

England lead the overall head-to-head against Spain, recording 14 wins and suffering 10 defeats, while there have also been three draws between the two sides.

Their last meeting at a European Championship came in 1996, when England won 4-2 on penalties in the quarter-finals after the two sides had played out a 0-0 draw.

Written by
Matt Law