De la Fuente: Spain not favourites to win final

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente rejected the idea that his side are the favourites to win Sunday’s European Championship final against England at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

De la Fuente, 63, insists his team must be even better than they were in victories over Germany and France in the previous rounds if they are to win the competition for a record-breaking fourth time.

“There are no favourites,” De la Fuente said in a news conference on Saturday. “It’s an even match-up, just as our previous knockout games were. If we are not above the level we displayed in those games, we won’t have a chance of winning — and the same if we make mistakes.

“It’s fantastic to be here and we are excited to be in the final. It’s the one of the biggest sporting achievements there is. We are relaxed and looking forward to playing.

“Sunday will be a complicated game against a great team, between the best two teams [in the tournament], that’s why we are in the final.

“These matches, which are so even, are often decided by the finer details. The team that makes the fewest mistakes will have the best chance of winning.”

Spain were not among the outright favourites before the finals begun but have been the most impressive side in Germany this summer.

They have won all six of their games so far, scoring a tournament-high 13 goals, and De la Fuente says they will stick to their attacking style of football on Sunday.

“If we are not Spain, we don’t have a chance,” he said. “We can improve, of course we can, but we have to be recognisable, true to our style and play to our strengths.

“That’s how we will win, regardless of what [England] do. By imposing our strengths, we have a chance to win.”

Their success in Germany has borne comparisons with the Spanish side that won back to back-to-back European Championships and a World Cup between 2008 and 2012.

A win against England would also see Spain crowned European champions for a fourth time, edging them clear of Germany at the top of the podium.

“This is a brilliant generation,” De la Fuente responded when asked if this could be the start of another Spanish dynasty. “There are many players that were successful with Spain’s youth teams previously, which often leads to success in the future.

“I wouldn’t go as far as [to compare with the 2008-12 team], but we want to make history. I am so confident that this team, with the other players we have in Spanish football, will have a big future. That does not mean Spain will always win, but it takes us closer to those end goals.

“But, for us, the future is the right now. This group must enjoy what they have earned, no one has given them anything and they have an historic chance to make Spain the most decorated side in the history of this competition.”

Spain will welcome back Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand from suspension to face England, with Pedri and Ayoze Pérez the only players from the 26-man squad ruled out, both with injuries.

Barcelona midfielder Gavi, currently sidelined with an ACL tear, will also join the squad in Berlin ahead of the game.

“Gavi is going to fly out and link up with us tomorrow,” De la Fuente confirmed. “He is going to spend the whole day with the team. He will be our 27th man.”