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England take on Spain in Berlin to determine who will win Euro 2024 on Sunday night. The Three Lions were beaten by Italy in the final of the last European Championships and are the slight underdogs heading into this one.
There are several key matchups all over the field, but a rivalry forged in the Premier League could prove to be the most crucial. Marc Cucurella, the Chelsea full-back, will come directly up against Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka and it’s a mouthwatering prospect.
- Spain have conceded 42% of their chances down their left-flank
- Saka’s 24 dribbles attempted at Euro 2024 rank highly
- Cucurella booked in both clashes with Saka last season
Saka to Target Spain’s Left Flank
Luis De La Fuente’s side have been keen to progress the ball down the flanks. The dribbling prowess of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal has stolen the limelight, but Cucurella has also been key. The Chelsea man has been menacing on the overlap and he will want to support Williams with his marauding runs forward. However, there has been some defensive frailty on Cucurella’s part.
Spain have conceded just two goals this tournament, one against Germany and one against France. However, 42% of the chances they have conceded have come down the left flank on which Cucurella operates. In comparison, just 24% of the chances they have conceded have come down the right.
Cucurella has played five of Spain’s six matches at the European Championships. He was rested when De La Fuente chose to rest several key players against Albania. The Chelsea full-back has made at least one foul in all of his matches so far and appears to be set for a busy evening.
England are averaging 8.67 dribbles per game at Euro 2024. Only Croatia, Portugal, France and Spain have averaged more per game. Saka’s 24 dribbles attempted is more than any other England player and the 10th most of any player in the tournament. He will be directly up against Cucurella here.
Rekindling the Rivalry
Arsenal finished a whopping 26 points above Chelsea in the Premier League last season, but clashes between the sides were still feisty, to say the least.
The first meeting between the sides last season finished 2-2. Bukayo Saka and Marc Cucurella didn’t give each other a moment’s rest. Although the Arsenal man made three fouls, he was also fouled three times as a right-winger. Cucurella was fouled on three occasions and he also made two fouls himself, both of which were on Bukayo Saka. His eagerness to get tight to the tricky wide man also resulted in him being booked.
When Arsenal and Chelsea went head-to-head at the Emirates in April, the match was significantly more one-sided. The Gunners won 5-0, but that didn’t stop Cucurella from making it a scrap. He made two fouls on Saka once again in a bid to stop Arsenal from running riot.
Despite being the attacker, Bukayo managed to foul Cucurella on three occasions across those two North West London Derbies last season. Saka appears set to be highly involved and is also capable of getting his name on the scoresheet. He scored England’s equaliser against Switzerland in the quarter-finals and has been a standout player in the knockout stages.