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Last week, Luis Rubiales, the former president of the Spanish football federation, was found guilty of sexual assault for kissing Spain forward Jenni Hermoso without consent during the medal ceremony of the 2023 World Cup final, with the court ruling he pay a €10,000 (£8,290) fine. However, Rubiales and his three co-defendants were cleared of the charge of coercion, for having allegedly put pressure on Hermoso to say the kiss was consensual. Rubiales has said he, too, will be appealing.
Ballon d’Or Féminin winner Aitana Bonmatí now says she “has to believe” that change will happen and that the fight of Hermoso and Spain players has not been in vain.
During her pre-match press conference, England manager Sarina Wiegman said: “They’re very comfortable on the ball and they want to play a possession game. We are aware of that, so at moments, we will have to be patient and wait until we can press and win the ball but we also know that we can exploit space behind them and that’s what we are looking for. They’ve been struggling with that over the last couple of games. They’re a good side but we see opportunities too.”
Wiegman continued: “I think we have evolved but you can’t relate to the EUROs or the World Cup anymore because there have been so many new players coming in. The game has evolved too, it’s not just us trying to adapt, the opponents have changed with the Nations League coming in, different matches at a much higher level which is what we want. Of course, we are still developing, adapting and trying to improve every single game.”
Former England forward Toni Duggan will be given a special presentation at Wembley Stadium this evening to celebrate her retirement. Duggan will also be among six Lionesses to receive their legacy caps. She is set to be joined by Ellen White, Rachel Williams, Jo Potter, Fara Williams and Clare Wheatley.
The Lionesses kicked off their 2025 with an underwhelming 1-1 draw with Portugal last week. The result and performance left Sarina Wiegman, her players and England fans with a familiar feeling of frustration.
Just two years ago, England looked completely formidable on the pitch. Since the World Cup, however, they have appeared very beatable.
Team news
England starting line-up: Hannah Hampton; Lucy Bronze, Millie Bright, Leah Williamson (C), Niamh Charles; Grace Clinton, Keira Walsh, Ella Toone; Jess Park, Lauren James, Alessia Russo. Substitutes: Esme Morgan, Mary Earps, Maya Le Tissier, Millie Turner, Jess Carter, Chloe Kelly, Jessica Naz, Aggie Beever-Jones, Nikita Parris, Anna Moorhouse, Ruby Mace, Laura Blindkilde-Brown.
Spain starting line-up: Cata Coll; Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes (C), María Méndez, Olga Carmona; Laia Aleixandri, Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey; Clàudia Pina, Lucía García, Salma Paralluelo. Substitutes: Laia Codina, Athenea del Castillo, Sheila García, Vicky López, Cristina Martín-Prieto, Adriana Nanclares, Maite Oroz, Leila Ouahabi, Alba Redondo, Esther Sullastres, Maite Zubieta.
Preamble
Fixtures don’t get much bigger than this when it comes to international football.
The reigning European champions face the reigning world champions at the home of English football this evening in what is set to be a blockbuster Nations League clash. For England, this is a chance to avenge their World Cup final defeat to Spain. The Lionesses suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to La Roja in Sydney 556 days ago. Now, with Euro 2025 just 126 days away, Sarina Wiegman’s side are in need of a huge confidence boost.
England go into this match off the back of a fairly disappointing 1-1 draw with Portugal. Meanwhile, Spain came from behind in dramatic fashion to defeat Belgium in a five-goal thriller on Friday to top Group A3.
This clash will give us a good idea of where exactly both teams are heading into this summer’s major tournament. The countdown is well and truly on.
Kick-off is at 8pm GMT – join me!
