Nations League permutations: What England need against Spain to qualify for quarter-finals as group winners

Since then, La Roja have beaten Croatia and the Czech Republic twice each and just need to avoid defeat against Three Lions in the reverse fixture on Sunday to guarantee top spot and an easier quarter-final draw.

However, as England have the superior goal difference (+12 compared to +9) between the two nations, a win for Thomas Tuchel’s side in Madrid would be enough to see them top the group at Spain’s expense.

This is because the UEFA tiebreaker first looks at the head-to-head record when sides are locked on the same amount of points, and then total goal difference in the two games between the two sides.

As Spain won the reverse fixture by a one-goal margin in September, any margin of victory for England - whether it be 1-0, 2-0 or 2-1 - will guarantee top spot in Nations League Group A3.

Lamine Yamal was on target in Spain’s win over England in September

AFP/Getty

Topping the group would set up a possible quarter-final showdown with France, Greece or Denmark, as things currently stand.

Furthermore, the group winners will be seeded for the Nations League quarter-final draw, therefore securing home advantage in their second leg ties.

Teams from the same group cannot be paired together in the knockout stage, therefore England and Spain - for example - would be kept apart.

Were England to fail to beat Spain and finish second in Group 3, their potential Nations League quarter-final opponents would be Italy, Netherlands or Portugal.