England vs Spain – Predicted lineup and team news

England are due to face Spain, the reigning World Cup and European Championship holders, in their opening UEFA Nations League fixture on Saturday at the famous Wembley Stadium.

The Three Lions come into this Nations League campaign riding a wave of attacking confidence after finishing third at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Following a heartbreaking semi-final defeat to Argentina, England spectacularly ended their tournament with a 6–4 win over France in the play-off for third place. Before the knockout stages of the World Cup, Thomas Tuchel's side had been notably solid at the back, but the current shortage of available players now poses fresh tactical problems for the manager at Wembley.

England are dealing with a serious selection headache ahead of kick-off, as a string of fitness issues has compelled Tuchel to reshuffle his plans extensively.

Five key first-team regulars— Declan Rice , Cole Palmer , Marcus Rashford , Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento —have all officially pulled out of the squad because of injury.

The defensive department is also badly affected: John Stones , Reece James and Djed Spence are unavailable through injury, while left-back Lewis Hall is a major doubt after sitting out midweek training.

In addition, Phil Foden and Ollie Watkins were not included in the extended squad for this international window.

To help cover the midfield gaps, Tuchel has brought in Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner as late additions. With so many senior options missing, he may also turn to younger players, with Bournemouth 's Alex Scott , Arsenal 's Myles Lewis-Skelly and Liverpool 's Rio Ngumoha all in the frame to earn their first caps for the senior side.

Possible England starting XI: Pickford; Quansah , Konsa , Guehi , O'Reilly; Anderson, Scott; Saka , Bellingham , Gordon; Kane

The match will kick off at 7:45pm BST on Saturday, 26th September.

For viewers in the United Kingdom, the match will be shown live on ITV1.

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