Spain vs England: Winner Takes it All

Getty Images Mark Metcalfe/FIFA/Getty Images

The 9th FIFA Women's World Cup wraps up tonight, with a first time winner taking home the trophy. Spain and England are both making their first WWC final appearances, guaranteeing a new country will raise the trophy. This will be the first time since 2011 that a new champion will be crowned. Both teams have had dominant World Cup tournaments. England made it through to the final undefeated, their only draw their Round of 16 match vs Nigeria, which England won in penalties.* Spain, on the other hand lost a group stage match 0-4 against Japan, but won all the rest of their games.

For England, it was their Quarterfinal match vs. Colombia that really solidified their place in this tournament. This match was the most cohesive England had looked so far. They were without Lauren James, who was serving the a red card suspension, but Alessia Russo stepped up to fill that hole, scoring the game winner in the 63rd minute. James's suspension was 2 matches, so Russo also earned the start in the Semifinal vs. Australia. She scored in that game as well.

Spain hasn't had an incredibly dominant performance since they defeated Zambia 5-0 in the Group Stage. However, they have been strong. They have become a late game team, scoring all their goals against both the Netherlands and Sweden after the 80th minute. They'll need to strike earlier than that against England to have a strong chance because England has scored early and late goals.

Projected Starting XI's:

Spain:

Spain has used a 4-3-3 formation since the second match, and I doubt they'll change it up. Two-time Ballon d'Or winner Alexia Putellas has not had her best tournament, and Vilda does not seem to think strongly of her, so I doubt she'll start this match.

8 - Mariona Caldentey, 9 - Ezther Gonzalez, 17 - Alba Redondo

10 - Jennifer Hermoso, 3 - Teresa Abelleira, 6 - Aitana Bonmati

19 - Olga Carmona, 14 - Laia Codina, 4 - Irene Paredes, 2 - Ona Batlle

23 - Cata Coll

England:

Even with Lauren James available again, Alessia Russo has earned a spot in the starting XI, and I think Sarina Wiegman would be smart to stick to the same XI as the last two matches.

11 - Lauren Hemp, 23 - Alessia Russo

10 - Ella Toone

9 - Rachel Daly, 4 - Keira Walsh, 8 - Georgia Stanway, 2- Lucy Bronze

5 - Alex Greenwood, 6- Millie Bright, 16 - Jessica Carter

1 - Mary Earps

*By FIFA rules, matches that go to a penalty shootout are classed as a draw, and any penalty kicks scored during the shootout do not count toward goals scored by individual players.