England vs Spain predictions: Young Lions to come up short
- England are yet to concede a goal in the competition
- Spain are five-time European Under-21 Championship winners
- Recommended bet: Spain to win the cup
Thirty-nine years have passed since England last won the European Under-21 Championship, completing a 3-0 aggregate success over Spain — and the Young Lions will be up against the same opposition when contesting the 2023 final at the Adjarabet Arena in Batumi.
England have hardly put a foot wrong since landing in Georgia last month.
Lee Carsley's side have won all of their five matches without conceding a goal and their 3-0 semi-final success over Israel was their widest margin of victory at the tournament.
Spain have posted four victories, including a 5-1 semi-final triumph over Ukraine, and one draw.
La Rojita have a fantastic record in the competition and are aiming to lift the trophy for the fourth time in the last seven attempts.
Team news
Jacob Ramsey is ruled out after suffering an ankle injury during the 1-0 quarter-final victory over Portugal but Max Aarons and Ben Johnson are available after one-match bans.
Aarons could challenge Luke Thomas for the left-back berth but Johnson faces a battle to displace James Garner at right back.
Spain appear to be injury free and could stick with the same side which started Wednesday's 5-1 semi-final success over Ukraine.
The stats
England have won 12 of their last 13 competitive games.
The Young Lions have kept clean sheets in eight of their last ten competitive matches but they lost pre-tournament friendlies against Croatia (1-2) and Japan (0-2).
England have played Spain on five occasions and have never lost. The last meeting was a 1-1 draw at the group stage of the 2011 European Under-21 Championship.
Spain have put together a 19-game unbeaten run since a 2-1 loss to Portugal in the semi-finals of the 2021 European Under-21 Championship.
La Rojita are the joint-most successful team in the competition's history with five wins.
Three of those triumphs came within the last 12 years (2011, 2013 and 2019).
Prediction
England have been largely faultless at the European Under-21 Championship but they may fall at the final hurdle when taking on Spain in Batumi.
Progress to the final has been a team effort for England, who have spread the goals around the squad.
Carsley's outfit have defended superbly, keeping five clean sheets, and looked in control for the vast majority of their matches.
However, they had to ride their luck in the quarter-final against Portugal, winning 1-0 despite losing the shot count 18 to six.
Spain favour a similar possession-based style to Portugal but they are likely to show greater potency in front of goal.
The Iberians are the top scorers in the tournament with 13 goals and they approach the final with lots of confidence after their 5-1 semi-final victory over Ukraine.
Santi Denia's side would have expected a tough test against Ukraine, who had beaten well-fancied France 3-1 in the quarter-finals, but they handled the occasion superbly.
La Rojita seem to have a greater goalscoring capacity than England and that may be key to getting their hands on the trophy.
