Spain v France predictions: World champions can edge victory in exciting final

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Spain v France in the Nations League final on Sunday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Football & Main Event, 7.45pm Sunday

Best bet

France to win & both teams to score
1pt 9-2 bet365, Hills

Team news

Spain
Ferran Torres should be fit to lead the line despite coming off early in the second half against Italy. Gerard Moreno, Alvaro Morata, Pedri and Dani Olmo are among the injury absentees for La Roja.

France
N'Golo Kante had to miss the finals due to a positive Covid-19 test and Everton left-back Lucas Digne (hamstring) has pulled out of the squad.

Match preview

World champions France demonstrated their strengths and weaknesses during Thursday's 3-2 Nations League semi-final win over Belgium but Les Bleus can claim an entertaining victory over Spain in Sunday's final.

Odds of 9-2 about France winning and both teams scoring in 90 minutes appeal after Didier Deschamps' side staged a dramatic comeback against the Belgians.

Trailing 2-0 after an hour in Turin, France levelled things up with two goals in the space of seven minutes, piling on the pressure until Theo Hernandez scored an excellent 90th-minute winner.

France's hopes of adding the Euro 2020 title to their 2018 World Cup triumph ended in a thrilling last-16 tie against Switzerland. They fell behind in the 15th minute, then established a 3-1 lead thanks to a brilliant spell of football in the second half before the Swiss hit back with two late goals and went on to win on penalties.

Deschamps' understandable desire to get Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Karim Benzema into his starting 11 has forced France to adopt a more expansive approach and their three-man defence is far from convincing.

N'Golo Kante's absence due to Covid-19 leaves them even more vulnerable and they had to come from behind to claim 1-1 draws with Bosnia and Ukraine in World Cup qualifying last month.

However, France's attacking quality means they are hard to oppose against a Spain side who beat European champions and Nations League finals hosts Italy 2-1 in Wednesday's first semi-final.

La Roja were undoubtedly helped by a 42nd-minute red card for Leonardo Bonucci, a defensive bastion of an Azzurri side who came into the semi-final on a 37-game unbeaten run.

But Spain deserve credit for toppling Roberto Mancini's European champions despite missing Dani Olmo and Pedri, two of their most impressive performers at the Euros, as well as senior strikers Alvaro Morata and Gerard Moreno through injury.

With the 18-year-old Pedri sidelined, Enrique has turned to an even younger Barcelona midfielder, 17-year-old Gavi, and Manchester City's Ferran Torres should start up front despite limping off early in the second half in Milan.

By that stage, Torres had already scored twice and the 21-year-old, who has found the net with six of his last seven shots on target for Spain, can expect chances against a leaky French defence.

Spain's rearguard is also set for a difficult night against La Liga stars Benzema and Griezmann, along with Mbappe, who has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid, and Paul Pogba, who was outstanding at Euro 2020 and hit the crossbar with a long-range free-kick against Belgium.

The Nations League semi-finals had none of the caginess of the latter stages of the Euros and France look value to edge another lively contest in the final.

Key stat

Both teams have scored in six of France's last seven competitive internationals.

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