Tuchel's iffy England out to end Spain's incredible unbeaten run in Wembley showdown

The Three Lions begin their Nations League campaign against the current world champions, who haven't lost in their last 38 games, which is the longest-ever unbeaten run by a European or South American nation.

Another golden era for Spain

Luis de la Fuente has brought another golden era to Spanish football, and the depth of talent that he has at his disposal might ordinarily send shockwaves through the opposition dressing room.

Rodri, Lamine Yamal, Pedri, Mikel Oyarzabal et al... Wherever you look, La Roja have quality all over the pitch.

However, Thomas Tuchel and his squad shouldn't be overawed. After all, prior to the World Cup in the United States, England had won all of their qualification games without conceding a goal.

On another day, they would've beaten Argentina and potentially gone on to lift their first major silverware since 1966.

England have only won two games against reigning world champions

Games between the two countries are rarely cagey affairs, with goals virtually guaranteed.

The last time they met in the Nations League back in October 2018, England won 3-2 on Spanish soil, having lost 2-1 at Wembley a month before.

Spain have the edge in terms of recent meetings, though, having won six of the last nine meetings, drawing one and losing the other two.

England have only won two of their last 13 matches against a reigning world champion, too, losing nine and drawing two, but one of those matches was a 1-0 win against La Roja in November 2011.

Argentina defeat still hurts

Arguably, the mental scars of their defeat against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final will largely dictate how well Thomas Tuchel's side plays in this match.

The way in which the Three Lions retreated after going ahead thanks to Anthony Gordon is incomprehensible when one places that performance alongside the one against Mexico, in which England took the game to their hosts throughout.

Indeed, after Gordon had scored, and right up until Lautaro Martinez had headed Argentina's winner, England had made only 26 passes in total as a team. Furthermore, their 11.9% possession during that time was the lowest recorded since 1966 by a team leading in a World Cup match over a period of at least 10 minutes.

It's worth asking the question as to whether the senior players will still have faith in Tuchel's methods, given the instructions being received from the manager at that time.

Tuchel has best record of any England manager in charge for 10 games

Argentina were there for the taking, and if England are in a similar position against Spain, the pressure to take advantage this time, instead of sitting back, will be obvious.

Despite that disappointment, Tuchel's reign shouldn't be defined by that one match.

The German has seen his side average 2.3 goals per game, and only under Walter Winterbottom has an England team scored more (2.8).

He also has the best win rate of any England manager who has been in charge for at least 10 games, with his 77% showing including 22 victories, two draws and just three losses. 

Oyarzabal and Kane the danger men

With Cole Palmer and Declan Rice having withdrawn from the squad, it could put England at a disadvantage, though it does give the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White the chance to impress if selected.

Whoever does get the nod, they'll be looking to extend a home record that has seen them win 10 of their last 11 fixtures, including all of the most recent five matches in which no goals were conceded.

Spain's last competitive defeat came on British soil against Scotland in 2023, whilst they haven't lost in any matches, including friendlies, since March 2024 against Colombia - but that game also took place in Britain, this time at West Ham's London Stadium.

Since then, they've won 29 games and drawn nine in an epic run, and they've also reached three of the four Nations League finals played to date, losing two, including in 2025 to Portugal on penalties, and winning one.

Oyarzabal might be considered an unsung hero for La Roja amongst the bigger names in the squad; however, the Real Sociedad hitman has 26 goal involvements in his last 25 internationals, a run which began when he scored the winner against England in the 2024 European Championship final.

At the other end of the pitch, if the hosts are to get off to a winning start on Saturday, then Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham's good form will be crucial. 

The latter has seven in 10 England appearances in 2026, whilst the former recently became the Bayern Munich player to reach 100 Bundesliga goals in the fastest time, doing so in just 98 appearances.

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Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.