Euro 2024: There are no favorites, says Luis De la Fuente ahead of final against England

Spain’s boss Luis de la Fuente reckons there will be no favorites in the Euro 2024 final between his team and England on Sunday. Spain has been dominant throughout their campaign, convincingly winning all of their six matches to march into the final.

England, on the other hand, have made it to back-to-back Euro finals but have bounced back in knockout matches when they were on the verge of elimination.

Luis de la Fuente wants his team to bring their A-game to the summit clash and feels they might need to play even better than what they did against Germany and France.

“There are no favourites,” De la Fuente said in a news conference on Saturday. “It’s an even match-up, just as our previous knockout games were. If we are not above the level we displayed in those games, we won’t have a chance of winning — and the same if we make mistakes.

“It’s fantastic to be here and we are excited to be in the final. It’s the one of the biggest sporting achievements there is. We are relaxed and looking forward to playing

“Sunday will be a complicated game against a great team, between the best two teams [in the tournament], that’s why we are in the final.

“These matches, which are so even, are often decided by the finer details. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will have the best chance of winning.”

There is no doubt that Spain has been the most impressive team in the European championship but their gaffer doesn’t want to get complacent.

“If we are not Spain, we don’t have a chance,” he said. “We can improve, of course we can, but we have to be recognisable, true to our style and play to our strengths.

“That’s how we will win, regardless of what [England] do. By imposing our strengths, we have a chance to win.”