Yamal has had six shots on target across his five appearances in the Nations League this season (1.32 per 90) with this record returning one goal for the 17-year-old. His shot volume is particularly promising, the Barcelona star has had 16 shots in the Nations League this season (3.51 per 90), with the majority of these efforts coming from the top left-hand side of the penalty area.

Yamal had five shots in Spain’s Nations League victory over the Netherlands in the second leg of their quarter-final clash against Ronald Koeman’s side. Yamal managed to find the target on three occasions from these efforts, which is a solid return that he can look to replicate here.

Spain are the most relentless attacking side in the Nations League when it comes to shots on target. Luis de la Fuente’s side are averaging 7.3 shots on target per game in the Nations League this term, which is more than any other side in the competition. Yamal scored and had three shots in the most recent head-to-head meeting between the sides in last summer's European Championship.

Le Normand has shown a notably reckless streak in the Nations League this season, accumulating three cautions in just four appearances - one of which was a red card. His foul rate of 2.53 per 90 minutes in the competition highlights his tendency to mistime challenges. This aggressive approach has repeatedly put his team at risk, underscoring his lack of discipline in crucial moments.  

This pattern isn’t limited to the Nations League, as Le Normand has displayed the same risky behaviour in La Liga. During the regular season, he averaged 1.47 fouls per 90 minutes and collected eight yellow cards. His consistent inability to refine his tackling raises concerns about his reliability in high stakes situations.  

Now, Le Normand faces another tough test against Kylian Mbappe, who excels at drawing fouls. Mbappe has won 1.67 fouls per 90 minutes in the Nations League this season, making him a constant threat.

It’s hard to look past Spain finding a way through here. Luis de la Fuente has led the best side in Europe across the last few years, a statement underlined by their victory in the Euros last summer and their success in this competition when they beat Croatia to lift the Nations League in 2023.

Spain haven’t lost a game since March 2024 when they lost a friendly match against Colombia, you have to go back to 2023 for their last competitive defeat, which came against Scotland during qualifying for the European Championship.

France have already lost two games in the Nations League this season and showed a lot of vulnerability in the first leg of their quarter-final clash against Croatia, in which they were defeated 2-0. Although Didier Deschamps’ side were able to overturn this result in the second leg, Spain are unlikely to be as forgiving given the imperious run of form they’ve been in ever since Luis de la Fuente took over.

Mbappe is yet to score in the Nations League this season but has shown plenty of promise in the shots on target department, suggesting that he could break his duck here. He’s had 20 shots (5.57 per 90) and 10 shots on target (2.79 per 90) across just four appearances in the Nations League this campaign. 

Mbappe’s shot on target rate has been high all season in his debut season for Real Madrid, which may not have returned silverware, but Mbappe can deem the campaign a personal success, having scored 43 goals across 56 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos. He averaged 2.62 shots on target per 90 across 34 appearances in La Liga during the regular season.

Mbappe is on penalties for France and had four shots in the most recent head-to-head meeting between the sides at the European Championship last summer. One of these efforts found the target, and he should be eager to finally get on the scoresheet in the Nations League.

Huijsen has had a real breakout campaign with his impressive performances for Bournemouth giving him the opportunity to move to Real Madrid and kickstart his career at the biggest club in world football, after being moved on by both Juventus and Roma.

Huijsen is very composed on the ball but can be a tad reckless when challenging for it. He picked up a yellow card in the first leg of Spain’s quarter-final clash against the Netherlands.

Huijsen picked up 10 yellow cards across his 26 starts for Bournemouth during the recent Premier League season, which further highlights how reckless the young centre back can be. He’ll be up against Kylian Mbappe, who is averaging 1.67 fouls won per 90 in the Nations League this season. Don’t be surprised to see Huijsen contest duels higher up the pitch, he’s more than comfortable when it comes to stepping into central areas.

Spain can be relentless when everything comes together in the final third, Luis de la Fuente’s side are averaging 7.3 shots on target per game in the Nations League this season, more than any other side in the competition.

Mike Maignan is an excellent shot stopper, he’s having to make 2.28 saves per 90 in the Nations League this season, but we can expect this to increase given Spain’s strong shot on target record and the fact that de la Fuente’s side are by far the toughest attacking threat that France have had to contain in the Nations League so far.