ENGLAND will be looking to secure a place in the Women's Euro 2022 semi-final tonight with a win over Spain in the last eight.
The Lionesses were superb in the group stages against lesser opposition but face a tough challenge in the Spanish tonight.
- Start time: 8pm BST
- TV/Live stream: BBC One/iPlayer
- England XI: Earps, Bronze, Daly, Walsh, Bright, Mead, Williamson, White, Stanway, Hemp, Kirby
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What time does England vs Spain kick off?
- England's mouth-watering clash with Spain takes place on Wednesday – July 20.
- It is scheduled to kick off at 8pm UK time.
- The home of Brighton & Hove Albion, Amex Arena is the location for the match and it can hold around 31,000 supporters.
- Nothing could separate the nations when they last met in the Arnold Clark Cup earlier on this year.
Is England vs Spain FREE to watch?
Yes, the quarter-final between England and Spain will be available to watch for FREE if you hold a valid TV licence in the UK.
However, Marta Cardona could get promoted to the first eleven for her winning goal against Denmark.
- Kieran Davies
England substitutes:
5. Alex Greenwood, 12. Jess Carter, 16. Jill Scott, 17. Nikita Parris, 18. Chloe Kelly, 19. Bethany England, 20. Ella Toone, 21. Elle Roebuck, 22. Lotte Wubben-Moy, 23. Alessia Russo
- Kieran Davies
England starting XI:
Sarina Wiegman selects the same line-up that defeated Northern Ireland in their last game 5-0.
1. Mary Earps, 2. Lucy Bronze, 3. Rachel Daly, 4. Keira Walsh, 6. Millie Bright, 7. Beth Mead, 8. Leah Williamson, 9. Ellen White, 10. Georgia Stanway, 11. Lauren Hemp, 14. Fran Kirby.
Credit: @Lionesses - Kieran Davies
Everything ready to go in Brighton
The Amex Stadium is ready for tonight's quarter-final with the Lionesses looking to book their fifth semi-final appearance.
Nerves will be rife, Wiegman will need to keep the players' focussed.
A good atmosphere from the home fans will be key to success.
Credit: Getty
- Kieran Davies
Spain sticking with defensive unit
Spain are more settled selection-wise in defence.
Barcelona duo Mapi León and Irene Paredes have been crucial figures in the centre.
Jorge Valda will be looking to try and pass the ball through the English high-press.
- Kieran Davies
Business end of the tournament
With the group stages over, any mistakes can mean you exiting the competition far earlier than you planned.
The Lionesses will know they need to stay focused and bring their own threat for Spain to try and cope with.
Credit: @Lionesses - Kieran Davies
Boss ready for the challenge ahead
Sarina Wiegman spoke about how her squad have prepared for this evening:
We know our plan, we know our strengths, we know our opponents very well but we also know there are more favourites to beat so what we are focussing on now is that we have a game against Spain.
We did well in the group stage but we haven’t won anything yet and we are just focussed on the next game.
Spain are a very good team and we are a very good team too and we want to play the best game we can and hopefully it will bring us the win.
Sarina WiegmanEngland women's manager
- Kieran Davies
Boost in confidence for Lionesses
Hearing the news that their manager, Sarina Wiegman, is going to be on the touchline this evening only hours before kick-off will help the England players hugely.
They will go into this game with huge confidence knowing they are at full-strength in all areas.
Wiegman needs to set her side out against a team who do like to have lots of possession as do her England side.
- Kieran Davies
Welcome to England vs Spain
The big news for England is that manager, Sarina Wiegman, will return to the touchline for the Lionesses’ quarter-final match with Spain at the Amex Stadium after missing Friday’s 5-0 Group A win over Northern Ireland as she recovered from a bout of covid.
Spain are expected to name an unchanged back-four with Irene Paredes continuing her centre-back partnership with Barcelona teammate Mapi Leon.
Jorge Vilda could be tempted to give Cardona her first start of the tournament after the Real Madrid player came off the bench to score the late winner against Denmark.
Esther Gonzalez may force her way into the starting line-up after some impressive performances from the bench.
With a 100% record in the group stages, Wiegman is expected to name an unchanged side for the fourth consecutive game.
After scoring five goals, including a hat-trick against Norway, Beth Mead is the current topscorer and she will be aiming to continue her form from the group stages against Spain this evening.
Fran Kirby has cemented her position at number 10, whilst Alessia Russo has come off the bench in all three group games to score three goals.
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