Arsenal star Bukayo Saka is set to start for England against Spain in the final of Euro 2024, and he will hope to make a strong impact again.
Saka delivered sensational performances in the quarter-final against Switzerland and the semi-final against The Netherlands, with the Arsenal winger moved to a different position.
Despite being forced to play at right wing-back, he showed his remarkable intelligence by adapting to the role instantly, and Saka was praised by Gareth Southgate for the work-rate on display in the semi-final.
Against Spain, he will come up against a left side of Arsenal target Nico Williams, and Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella.
Saka got the best of Cucurella twice last season, and fans are excited about the possibility of the 22-year-old terrorising the left-back again in the final. However, the Spaniard believes that he can nullify the Arsenal attacker.
Marc Cucurella explains how he can stop Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka in Euro 2024 final
Speaking in an interview with The Athletic, Cucurella claimed that he is aware of Saka’s quality, but has backed himself to stop the winger.
“I know how Saka plays. I don’t really need to watch a lot of footage as I normally watch all the Arsenal games. It is so tough to mark him, but those challenges are nice for me. Playing against rivals of such quality is nice, I’m sure we both can’t wait for it,” he stated.
“My main target is to make him feel uncomfortable. I also think that the game’s script will depend a lot on Spain and how we play, rather than what England do.
“If we dominate the ball as we’ve done and stay aware of the high pressure and everything we need to do to avoid counter-attacks, we’ll have plenty of chances to win.”
Bukayo Saka could flourish against Spain in Euro 2024 final
Saka is one of the most dangerous wingers in the world, and he can attack fullbacks both by cutting inside onto his left foot, or going around on his right.
A lot of opposition teams have their left-wingers double up on him to try and nullify the threat of the Arsenal star, but he still often finds a way through.
With Spain likely to dominate possession, they may allow Williams to push further forward and focus on his attacking role, rather than forcing him to track Saka, and this could leave the England wing-back in 1v1 situations against Cucurella.
If Saka can then get the best of the left-back, he could give England a much bigger chance of a shock victory in the final.
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