Spain v England: Euro 2024 final – live | Euro 2024

“So go on, what’s your prediction?” says Max Williams. “I think (hope) we might get an early goal and then get the crucial second this time. Just feels like Spain might have peaked and England are getting better each match. Then again, ‘the opposition have played brilliantly’ isn’t the soundest logic but logic hasn’t troubled England this tournament.”

If I had to bet the farm it’d be on Spain, but I wouldn’t be particularly surprised by any outcome from 3-0 to 0-3.

Thanks Will, hello again. Have you been drinking? Ach what the hell, work will take care of itself tomorrow.

The big news is that Rob Smyth is back and fully primed for what is to come.

Enjoy!

England head out for the warm up, soundtracked by Robbie Williams’ ‘Angels’. Emotional.

Manager is not an A-list tactical genius, but he can adjust to circumstances – and that could prove crucial in the final. Barney Ronay on the England manager.

I have just been handed a goat’s cheese and beetroot salad. This is proper football scran!

Welcome to the party, Luke.

Gareth Southgate: “We realise this is a wonderful opportunity to make history, it is a privilege to being this position, we need to make it count.

“He’s [Shaw] been on the road to getting back and we think he is ready to start and gives us that balance on that side.

“We have to keep the ball well, we have goal threats, moving the ball quickly through their press is the key to the game.

“We have shown a huge amount of resilience and we have found ways to win. Any team that scores late goals is a good sign and it’s helped create belief.

“We are here to give them [the fans] the night of their lives. We know what it means to everyone.”

Sid Lowe talks to Aymeric Laporte, one of the quiet pillars of Spain’s success.

ITV News’ Daniel Hewitt speaks for many.

Luke Shaw is brought in for his first start since February for club or country. All he has to do now is keep Lamine Yamal quiet. Good luck, Luke.

Starting lineups

Jordan Henderson has rented a van to take him to Berlin in a van. He could have been in the squad if he’d made different decisions.

I’ve really enjoyed our writers’ diaries from Germany. This week the man revealing all is Nick Ames.

Starmer: “It’s been an amazing 10 days, our Labour government has hit the ground running. We had to work for our electoral victory, it is the same for the England manager. I just hope they get the win tonight.

“We are all really proud of the team, the whole country is behind them. I think there is such optimism, I have just come from London, it is breathing optimism.

“I don’t know about that [having a bank holiday], let’s get through the next few hours and get out hands on the trophy but we would mark it in an appropriate way.”

Sir Keir Starmer has been for a pitchside chat with his best mate Gary Neville.

“From three championship points to losing the next 5 points and let the match slip (thankfully, only temporarily) reminded me that these are humans after all,” emails Krishna. “I instinctively recalled Baggio , Zico, GYAN, Socrates , Kane , Saka…..

“We sit in our comfort zones and pass a lot of criticism and comment forgetting elite sport is altogether at another level

“Will Spain win both that was on offer today?”

A lot of England fans have made their way to Berlin.

“I’ve overdosed already and we’re still a long way from kickoff,” says Charles Antaki. “Wing backs, midfield control, weakness down the left-hand side, national pride at stake… It’s all too much. Right now I think I’d happily settle for a straightforward 90 minutes between the Fox and Duck and El Bar de Juan-Miguel – no great worries about inverted wingbacks, tactics or indeed national destiny. Give them the ball and let the best drinking-hole representatives win.”

Should be a decent on BBC.

I’ve just had a quick scan of my Instagram stories, because I am cool and down with the kids. The general image I am seeing is of very busy pubs. I’m quite happy to be in the quiet but that’s just me.

Guardian’s brilliant Karen Carney on the equally brilliant Lamine Yamal.

“Hi guys and greetings from Vietnam,” writes Phil Keegan. “I remember watching that Spain 82 game on TV. I would have been 22, I guess. It wasn’t just my namesake Kevin who missed a sitter (and it was an absolute sitter) but the other sub, Trevor Brooking, also missed one when through on goal and only the keeper to beat. To be fair, I also remember a Spanish player, a full-back I think, also missing with only the goalie to beat. For the life of me I cannot believe my brain chooses to remember such utterly worthless information.”

ITV News is very keen to be at a Manchester fanzone. It looks, to say the least, lively.

“I’m watching with friends in Kutaisi and have communicated my passion for the dynamic passion of Georgian football and watched the video of Dinamo Tbilisi beating my beloved Liverpool 3-1,” mails Mikey Georgeson. “If Trent Alexander-Arnold comes on I will want us to bring football home, otherwise happy to enjoy the beautiful Georgian world I’m currently a temporary son of.”

Mary Nightingale has signed off at ITV News for the evening from outside the stadium in Berlin. We must be close to the punditry beginning in earnest.

The eternal question: BBC or ITV?

England are not known for their counter-attacking nowadays but it did once work against Spain …

I’m going to hand over to Will Unwin for the next hour or so, otherwise I’ll have hyperfocussed myself out of contention by kick-off. The team news should be confirmed at around 6.45pm BST; Luke Shaw for Kieran Trippier is reportedly the only England change.

In their last two wins over Spain, in 2011 and 2018, England had less than 30 per cent possession. It’ll be a surprise if that’s the case tonight, whatever the result.

“In an effort to calm my nerves I was thinking about England v Spain in 1982,” says Martin Widdicks. “It really is the forgotten England elimination story. We’re all too well aware of Bonetti in ‘70, Maradona in ‘86, Pearce in ‘90 etc but know next to nothing about the ‘82 Spain game. I shall happily watch some scratchy highlights shortly but anyone else have more insight about that game?”

It was before my time but I know the basic story – England’s two best players, Kevin Keegan and Trevor Brooking, had been out through injury all tournament and were only fit enough for the bench. I think they came on after about an hour, and poor Keegan – playing his only World Cup game – missed a terrific headed chance to get the first of the two goals they needed.

On 23 May 2001, Oliver Kahn saved a penalty from Valencia defender Mauricio Pellegrino to make Bayern Munich champions of Europe. Since then, Spanish men’s teams – club and country – have won all 26 finals against foreign opposition. I haven’t heard such an eye-widening stat since I realised Alec Stewart (born 8 April 1963) finished his Test career with 8463 runs.

“I’ll be watching from sunny Bolnuevo where I live on the Murcia coast in the local bar (I don’t actually live in the local bar),” writes Pat Manning. “Hopefully I won’t be listening to a cacophony of car horns and fireworks at the end of the game. All the best.”

Some places will be livelier than others.

‘There’s only one way to beat them/get overloads in midfield’

“Hi Rob,” writes Niall Mullen. “I wonder if you could help publicise my startup, Pyrotechnic Suppository Solutions. I thought it was a sure thing but sales have been really poor for some reason.”

Hahaha. I wonder what AFG is up to today. I know lightning doesn’t strike twice, but a lit flare might.

It’s three years and three days since England lost to the European Championship final to Italy, and all concerned are determined not to make the mistakes: no performative flares up the hole for purposes, no sitting on a lead, no 120th-minute substitutions.

It was fascinating to re-read Scott Murray’s majestic MBM of that game and be reminded of all the mood swings.

18 min: Italy are slowly gaining a foothold in the game. A few passes, a bit of probing down both flanks. Nothing too much for England to worry about yet, but there are signs that their opponents are stirring after their nightmare start.

Right, lots of preview pieces to get through. Let’s start with David Goldblatt’s piece on Gareth Southgate.

In the fact-free world of our public conversations, his coaching credentials have been dismissed, his huge success discounted. His loyalty, stability and caution – despite everything we have experienced in an era of political backstabbing, chaos and recklessness – have been derided. But perhaps we are at a turning point. England are in the final. Southgate’s detractors have been muted, and his defenders have become more vocal, yet it still feels a little like Labour’s “loveless landslide”.

Spain v England: a short history

Tonight is their fifth meeting at a major tournament – two in the World Cup, three in the Euros – although we should really count the Euro 68 quarter-final as well. (In those days it was technically a four-team tournament so the quarters were part of qualification.)

Louise Tayloir has been looking at the two previous meetings in the European Championship proper.

Shaw expected to start

Preamble