Lionesses star Lauren James has the X-factor England need to beat Spain and gain World Cup qualifying upper hand

There is a greater need from England for James to be that spark on Tuesday, too, given some of the absentees. The Lionesses are lacking depth in the attacking midfield role for this camp, owing to the injury absences of both Ella Toone and Grace Clinton. Indeed, those circumstances have forced Wiegman to call up 17-year-old Erica Parkinson, just to beef up the options at her disposal.

It's incredibly unlikely that the teenager starts against Spain, though, and for the Lionesses boss to turn to Laura Blindkilde Brown would also be unexpected, given how few opportunities the 22-year-old has had for her country despite her excellent Manchester City form.

Instead, when it comes to that attacking midfield role in front of Keira Walsh and Georgia Stanway, Wiegman is likely to pick between Jess Park, the Manchester United forward who can play centrally or out wide, and James.

Park got the nod in the No.10 against Iceland in March, while James was deployed out wide, but the former's red hot form has dropped off a little since, all while James has been putting her foot down on the gas even further.

That game was James' first start for England since the Euros, after an ankle problem picked up at the tournament lingered into the new season and kept her sidelined. Chelsea were very patient when she returned in November, waiting until February to give her back-to-back 90-minute run-outs, and they have been rewarded for their caution with excellent recent displays.

After getting an assist against Iceland last month in a wonderful performance for the Lionesses, James has since netted three goals for Chelsea, including one in the League Cup final to down former club Man Utd and ensure a rather disappointing season for the Blues at least doesn't end without silverware.

Her strike against Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-finals ultimately proved inconsequential but it was one of the best goals of the season and another highlight in a string of incredibly impressive recent displays.

Averaging three key passes per start since the last international break, James comes into this one flying, having been afforded a lot of freedom in her role by Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor.

"Credit to the manager who allows me to do that, but also the players who allow me to do it," she said after the recent FA Cup win over Tottenham, speaking to TNT Sports. "Without them, I wouldn't be able to go and roam, because they fill in the gaps that I've left. It helps because it allows me to get into positions where I can affect the game."

It's unlikely that James will be able to have as free a role as that when England take on Spain. This is a game in which the Lionesses are going to have to be extremely disciplined, as they're likely to have less of the ball than their opposition, despite being the home team.

That is how it played out when the pair last met at Wembley, with England defending brilliantly and being extremely efficient with the ball to win 1-0, posting an expected goals statistic of 1.69, just less than Spain's 1.93.

James played a key role at both ends, causing problems in attack with four shots on target while putting in a great defensive shift, winning four ground duels.

"I think the biggest step she takes is that, in defence, she's working so hard and she's doing so well," Wiegman said afterwards. "That's a massive, massive improvement. I'm proud that she's doing that."

Wiegman will be keen to ensure James has the space to cause problems again, though, as it looks like England will need something special to breach Spain's back line.

La Roja conceded just four goals en route to the Euro 2025 final, keeping clean sheets in the quarter-final win over Switzerland the semi-final win over Germany, then didn't concede a single goal in the Nations League finals which followed that tournament, beating Sweden 4-0 on aggregate and Germany 3-0 over two legs.

The return of Mapi Leon, Barcelona's world-class centre-back who hadn't played since taking part in the player protest after Euro 2022, has been huge, improving what was already a fantastic defence.

England have their own concerns at the back, too.

When Spain visited Wembley last, Wiegman could pick a full-strength defence that included Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Millie Bright and Niamh Charles, all of whom played excellently.

Just over a year on, Bright has retired, Williamson is a doubt for Tuesday and Charles is only just back to fitness as concerns in the left-back spot continue. There's every chance that the Lionesses will have to score more than once to win the game this time.

Fortunately, then, there's plenty to be excited about in attack.

Lauren Hemp is flying for Women's Super League champions-elect Man City, Alessia Russo is in fine goal-scoring form for England and Arsenal, and James is playing with the sort of confidence and rhythm that will make her a problem for any team on the planet, including world champions Spain.