England Face Task of Ending Spain's 43-Match Unbeaten Run in Madrid on Sunday

Spain host England at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid on Sunday in the final Nations League group encounter. England have the chance to end the reigning world champions' run of 43 competitive matches without defeat. The match kicks off at 7:45pm GMT.

Spain and England have both sealed their berth in the competition's quarterfinals. La Roja are assured of the top spot in Group A3 should they avoid defeat on Sunday, while England will finish second if they fail to beat the two-time World Cup winners.

Spain have a perfect record and lead Group A3 with 15 points from five games. They beat England 3-2 away, followed it with a 4-1 rout of Croatia at home, then beat Czechia 3-1 at home, Croatia 2-1 away and Czechia 2-0 away.

England are second with 12 points from five games, having won four times and lost once. After the 3-2 home defeat to Spain, Thomas Tuchel's side beat Czechia 2-0 and thrashed Croatia 7-0 in back-to-back away fixtures, then beat Czechia 3-0 at home and Croatia 2-1.

In the first meeting at London's Wembley Stadium in late September, Spain staged a 3-2 comeback victory. Lamine Yamal put Spain ahead in the second minute, Anthony Gordon equalised and Harry Kane gave England a 2-1 half-time lead. Kane missed a penalty in the second half, allowing Spain to bounce back as Alex Baena found the equaliser before Mikel Oyarzabal sealed victory in the 74th minute.

Teenage sensation Yamal, with four goals, and Mikel Merino, with three, have headlined Spain's attacking charge, while newly crowned Ballon d'Or recipient Harry Kane leads England.

Tuchel believes England are ready to end Spain's unbeaten record. He said Spain are a team that has forgotten how to lose, so it requires a top performance first of all, and delivering it would give his side a big boost. He added that England must play with the same mindset as at home, attack Spain, make it a physical game and impose their strength.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said the unbeaten record provides his players with extra motivation. He said they want to keep setting new milestones, and that none of them would probably ever have thought they would even reach 35, because those already felt like astronomical numbers, but having reached 43, they want to get to 44.

Opta's supercomputer favours Spain for victory. It gives Spain a 59.6 percent probability of winning, while England's odds of victory are 19.3 percent, and there is a 21.1 percent chance the game ends in a draw.

In team news, Yamal is expected to face England after missing the last game with a knee problem. Nico Williams and Aymeric Laporte are doubtful. For England, Myles Lewis-Skelly returns from suspension and Ezri Konsa is also expected to return after missing the last game with a knee injury; Djed Spence is doubtful and Marc Guehi remains out with a muscle injury.

Spain's probable lineup is Unai Simon; Marc Pubill, Pau Cubarsi, Dean Huijsen, Marc Cucurella; Dani Olmo, Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal and Alex Baena. England's probable lineup is Jordan Pickford; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn, Lewis Hall; Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice; Morgan Rogers, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane.

Victory would offer England little more than the prospect of a more favourable Nations League quarterfinal in March, but ending the world and European champions' 43-match unbeaten run in Madrid would be a landmark moment for Tuchel's side.