{
  "id": 9910227,
  "title": "England vs Spain – Match preview and team news",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/england-vs-spain-match-preview-and-team-news",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-26T04:45:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/england-vs-spain-match-preview-044500193.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "England is scheduled to face current World Cup and Euro Cup champions Spain in their UEFA Nations League opener on Saturday at the iconic Wembley Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7:45pm BST, with the match broadcast live on ITV1 for UK fans.\n\nEngland's squad selection crisis due to fitness issues has seen key players such as Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, and Tino Livramento withdraw from the camp. The defensive lineup is further weakened without John Stones, Reece James, and Djed Spence, who are all injured, while Lewis Hall remains a significant doubt after missing recent training sessions.\n\nTo compensate for these absences, Thomas Tuchel has called upon late midfield reinforcements Morgan Gibbs-White and James Garner, as well as youth players like Alex Scott, Myles Lewis-Skelly, and Rio Ngumoha. It remains to be seen how heavily Tuchel will rely on these younger players.\n\nSpain, on the other hand, arrives in London with a highly settled core under manager Luis de la Fuente. They must navigate a few defensive adjustments with Pedro Porro sidelined by a hamstring injury and Joan Garcia ruled out due to a knee issue. Eric Garcia is expected to step in at right-back, supported by the newly called-up Ivan Fresneda.\n\nGavi and Borja Iglesias have been left out of the squad, but Nico Williams returns to the lineup on the left flank. In midfield, Pedri's exceptional club form puts him in direct competition with Fabian Ruiz for a spot alongside Rodri. Up front, Roberto Fernandez provides additional depth behind Mikel Oyarzabal.\n\nEngland enters the UEFA Nations League in high-scoring form following a bronze-medal campaign at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Spain, the reigning European and World Champions, are in sensational form following their World Cup triumph in July. They are unbeaten in competitive matches throughout the year.",
  "summary": "England is set to meet the current World Cup and Euro Cup champion Spain in their UEFA Nations League opener on Saturday at the iconic Wembley Stadium.England vs Spain – Match preview and team news...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The National UAE",
        "title": "England v Spain: Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane face off in Nations League and battle for Ballon d'Or",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/england-v-spain-lamine-yamal-and-harry-kane-face-off-in-nations",
        "published": "2026-09-26T03:00:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Spain XI vs England – Predicted lineup and team news",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/spain-xi-vs-england-predicted-lineup-and-team-news",
        "published": "2026-09-26T04:45:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Daily Post Nigeria",
        "title": "UEFA Nations League: Results of all Friday’s fixtures",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/26/uefa-nations-league-results-of-all-fridays-fixtures",
        "published": "2026-09-26T06:00:45.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}