Spain and France Clash in Nations League Semifinal

Updated June 05, 2025

Stuttgart, Germany – Spain and France face off in a Nations League semifinal‌ match that some are framing as ‌a battle between young stars Lamine Yamal and Ousmane Dembele. The winner will advance to the final to face Portugal, who defeated Germany in the othre semifinal.

Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente has made three changes to the lineup that played in the quarterfinal against the Netherlands. Pedro Porro, Mikel Merino, and Pedri will​ start, replacing Oscar Mingueza, Fabian Ruiz, and Dani Olmo.

France coach Didier Deschamps is also making ⁤notable changes.Desire Doue and Adrien‍ Rabiot are ​among the five new starters, with Doue and Dembele both in the lineup. They replace bradley Barcola, Aurelien Tchouameni, and the injured trio of Jules Kounde,⁣ Dayot Upamecano, and William Saliba.

The Spain team⁢ will line ‌up in a 4-3-3 formation: Simon; ⁤Porro, Le⁤ Normand, Huijsen, Cucurella; Pedri, Zubimendi, Merino;⁣ Yamal, Oyarzabal, N. Williams. Substitutes include Raya, Remiro, Cubarsi, Vivian, morata, Fabian Ruiz, Gavi, Olmo, Mingueza, Pino, Alex Baena, Grimaldo, Isco, Fermin Lopez, and Samu.

France will counter with a 4-2-3-1 formation: Maignan; kalulu, Konate, Lenglet, T. Hernandez; Kone, Rabiot;‌ Dembele, Olise, Doue; Mbappe. Their ​substitutes are Samba, Chevalier, Pavard, Digne, Bade,⁢ Guendouzi, Tchouameni, Thuram, Kolo Muani, Gusto, Zaire-Emery, Barcola, L. Hernandez, and ​Cherki.

Michael Oliver of England will⁢ referee the match.

The match is a‌ reminder of the increasing focus ⁢on individual players in football, ‌a trend that gained momentum with Lionel Messi and Cristiano ⁢Ronaldo. Ronaldo⁤ recently made headlines with the winning goal against Germany.

Portugal’s earlier victory ensures that ⁢Sunday’s final will feature a previous Nations league champion.Portugal won ​the inaugural tournament in⁣ 2019, France defeated Spain in ​2021, and Spain overcame Croatia in 2023.

Spain’s 2023 Nations League win served as a springboard to their⁤ Euro 2024 victory, where they defeated four former world champions, including France in a thrilling semifinal.

What’s next

The winner of tonight’s Spain vs. France‌ match will advance to the‌ Nations League final to play Portugal.The final is scheduled for Sunday.