Match Centre: England 1-0 Spain

Sarina Wiegman and Alessia Russo faced the press on Tuesday morning ahead of England’s home clash against world champions Spain at Wembley Stadium tomorrow evening.

Here is what they had to say in full.

Wiegman on how the team is adapting:

Firstly, we work really hard and we try to play our best every single game. What we do every time is we review the game and we want to do better tomorrow. That’s what we’re working on and that’s what we can control to be at our best. No game is going to be easy anymore – the world has changed. We are adapting and of course, we try to win every single game.

On how England have evolved since last meeting Spain:

I think we have evolved. You can’t relate to the EUROs and the World Cup anymore because there’s so many new players coming in. The game has evolved too so not only are we trying to adapt but also, the opponents have changed with the Nations League coming up too with different matches at a much higher level which is what we want. We’re still developing, adapting and trying to improve every single game.

On the magnitude of the game:

It’s absolutely a big game but I think when you play the likes of Germany and the USA, I think there are many big games at the moment because everyone is improving so quickly to the next level. It’s an exciting game tomorrow again and we’re looking forward to it.

On learning from games:

We’re playing football to win games and we’ll try to be at our best tomorrow again and be connected as a team. What we want to do is get more consistency and create momentum in the game. Sometimes things go really well and sometimes things don’t go that well. We’re trying to stay very neutral and say, ‘this is where we are right now and we want to move forward so what do we have to do?’ Hopefully that will bring us the win tomorrow.

We’re LIVE with Sarina Wiegman and Alessia Russo as they preview tomorrow’s game against Spain at @Wembleystadium 💪 https://t.co/E5UaHq7ZJj

— Lionesses (@Lionesses) February 25, 2025

Russo on the 2023 World Cup final:

For me, revenge kind of reflects on the past a little bit. We’re a new team and we’ve got lots of new faces and lots of new qualities within the squad now. We don’t want to be looking back. Obviously, it hurt. You can ask every player that was in that game and it wasn’t nice to lose out but we want to be moving forward. We’ve got a new opportunity – we’re back at Wembley and we’ve got all of our fans there and we’re really looking forward to it.

On returning to Wembley:

It is an iconic place. (Laia) Codina was so buzzing when she found out the game was at Wembley. It’s nice for them to come to our home. We’re really proud and grateful to get to play here so often. It really does feel like a home for us with the fans and the energy around the place. It’s nice that we get to share that with other players that deserve to playing in these stadiums. It’ll be nice to be tested against the best but also be at our home as well.

On how much England have changed:

Every team goes through different processes after tournaments. Speaking on our process, we’ve got a new team now and lots of different, new faces and lots of energy around the place which is nice. We’re feeling good and we’re in a good place as a team. We’re enjoying our football as well which is nice. Camps are a really enjoyable place to come in and I think it’s a place where people can flourish.

On the boost beating Spain could give the team:

Winning games in general gives you confidence as a team but we learn a lot from performances that aren’t as positive. That’s part of football and that’s part of the journey we’re on. Ultimately, we want to be our best ready for the EUROs and this is another massive step in our journey. We want to be testing ourselves against top opposition and with our group in the Nations League, we’ve got. It’s really good prep but in the moment, these are the games you want to play as a player.

Nickname: La Roja
Coach: Montserrat Tome
Captain: Irene Parades

Match stats

● England are unbeaten in all eight of their previous meetings with Spain on home soil in all competitions (W5 D3), most recently beating La Roja 2-1 after extra time in the quarter-finals of EURO 2022.

● After a run of three straight defeats to England between 2016 and 2019, Spain have since lost just one of their four games against the Lionesses across all competitions (W2 D1), last beating England 1-0 in the 2023 FIFA World Cup final.

● England have lost only one of their last 54 competitive matches in England (W45 D8), a 2-1 defeat to France in May last year in UEFA European Championship qualifying.

● Excluding neutral venues, Spain have won six of their eight away games under manager Montse Tomé (D1 L1), most recently beating France 4-2 in Nice in a December 2024 friendly.

● England have lost just two of their last 11 home matches in all competitions (W6 D3), and could keep a clean sheet in three successive matches for the first time since November 2021 (run of four).

● Spain have won each of their last three games in all competitions, scoring 12 goals in that time, three of which have come in added time in the second half, including two in their 3-2 win over Belgium last time out.

● Since the induction of the UEFA Women’s Nations League, Spain have scored more goals (31) and averaged more goals per game (3.4) than any other nation, while their games have seen more goals than any other side (42 – 11 conceded also).

● This game will see Sarina Wiegman move level with Mark Sampson (59 each) into third for the most games managed in England’s history, with only Hope Powell (161) and Martin Reagan (68) taking charge of more matches for the Lionesses.

● No England player has scored (6) or been involved (7) in more goals since the start of 2024 than Alessia Russo, though she’s yet to score in her previous three appearances against Spain in all competitions (127 minutes).

● Spain’s Mariona Caldentey has been involved in more goals for the national team than any other player since the start of 2024 (12 – 5 goals, 7 assists), four of which have come in her last three games (1 goal, 3 assists).