The final countdown to UEFA Euro 2024 has officially begun as we approach a string of highly anticipated international friendlies. Some of the nations that are playing this week are heading for the big tournament and others aren’t, but either way, it’s important for all of them to try and build some momentum. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the impending clash between Spain and Northern Ireland.
Spain Form GuideRegardless of what their situation may be at any given moment, Spain should always be seen as a nation that is well and truly in the fight. They had their big run between 2008 and 2012 but now, they’ve got a brand new golden generation coming through. At this stage, it’s just a case of figuring out how they can maximise that, and whether or not they’ve got what it takes to win another major trophy.
For Spain, they had a pretty solid qualification campaign - outside of a surprising loss to Scotland. They topped Group A with seven wins and just one defeat and, perhaps more encouragingly, they scored 25 goals and only conceded five throughout their eight matches.
Northern Ireland Form GuideNorthern Ireland made their one and only appearance in the European Championships back in 2016, where they managed to make it all the way through to the knockouts. Ever since then, though, they haven’t been able to find the same level of success. Michael O’Neill is determined to bring through a crop of fresh, young talent, but there are still far more questions than answers.
For Northern Ireland, qualifying wound up being pretty disappointing. They won just three of their 10 games and finished 5th in their group behind Denmark, Slovenia, Finland and Kazakhstan, and they were 13 points off the pace of the automatic qualification spot.
Match PredictionIn a game like this, the whole point is to do everything in your power to make an impact - but at the same time, there are far more important matches that lie ahead. Therefore, while we do think there will be some big moments here and there, our official prediction is under 2.5 goals scored.
