England and Spain meet in the final again 6 years later

England or Spain. Spain or England. Only one of them will be smiling on Saturday afternoon when they are crowned the best U21 team in Europe.

Both teams have a score to settle. It so happens that the last time the two countries met in a final, it was the same generations that will fight for the U21 European Championship on Saturday.

You have to go all the way back to 2017, a year in which both the U17 European Championship in the summer and the U17 World Cup in the autumn took place. And both tournaments saw Spain and England face each other for the title.

The last time they met in a title match, in the final was on 28th October 2017. In Kolkata, in India, England beat Santi Denia's Spain 5-2, who arrived as reigning European champions.

9 players remain

In that 'Rojita' there were men who will again fight to beat England on Saturday. Guillamon, Miranda, Antonio Blanco, Abel Ruiz and Sergio Gomez all started. It was the latter who scored Spain's two goals. Víctor Gomez was on the bench, but did not play.

For England, in a squad that included Phil Foden and Hudson-Odoi, among others, there were Gibbs-White, Smith Row and Angel Gomes, all three of whom will be back on Saturday.

So Spain will have the chance to avenge that final. And surely there are no players with more desire than the 6 who lost in Calcutta 6 years ago.