Why Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka will relish playing against key Spain man in Euro 2024 final

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England are set to face Spain in the Euro 2024 final, and Arsenal stars Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka are expected to start.

Saka has been outstanding for England, as the best player on the pitch in the quarter-final victory against Switzerland, and was again excellent as his side beat The Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-final.

The Arsenal star moved to a role at right wing-back, but his intelligence showed as he was still able to push forward whilst contributing defensively, and Gareth Southgate praised Saka for this after England’s victory.

He is likely to continue in a similar role, meaning that on his side of the pitch, he will come up against reported Arsenal target Nico Williams, who has enjoyed a fine Euro 2024 campaign, and Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella.

Cucurella has performed well for Spain, but had an inconsistent season with Chelsea, and Arsenal’s two clashes with their London rivals last season shows why Saka will be excited at the prospect of facing the defender in the final.

Bukayo Saka destroyed Marc Cucurella when Arsenal played Chelsea

Arsenal took four points off Chelsea last season. At Stamford Bridge in October, Mikel Arteta’s side found themselves 2-0 down in a dire display, but goals from Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard meant they snatched a draw.

Saka came alive in the second half, and his dribbling caused nightmares for Cucurella, who was eventually booked in the 71st minute. The Arsenal winger then produced an outstanding cross from Cucurella’s side of the pitch to find Trossard for the equaliser.

Arsenal then dished out a brutal 5-0 thrashing of Chelsea in April at the Emirates. Cucurella started, but he simply could not keep up with Saka, fouling him on several occasions after he was beaten, and was booked in the 43rd minute.

Saka will be hoping for another victorious battle on the right side against Cucurella in Berlin, but Spain’s setup may determine how much success he has going forward.

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Saka has recently been praised for his ability to both cut inside onto his left foot as well as being able to take on a defender on his right.

With this in mind, teams often try to stop him by having the winger on his side double up defensively to try and prevent him from attacking the box.

Saka still manages to bypass this whilst also drawing fouls, but Spain may not want to restrict the attacking threat of Williams, and this could mean Cucurella is left isolated in 1v1 situations against the 22-year-old.

If this is the case, Saka will be licking his lips at the prospect of attacking the box from all angles, but he will hope that when he drives into the box and delivers a cross, Harry Kane will be ready to receive the ball and strike.