Thomas Tuchel will doubtless want to ensure that his side do as much as possible to finish top of the Group C table, but in order to do just that, they'll likely have to beat a Spain side on the final day, ending La Roja's world-record unbeaten run in the process.
Palmer overlooked by Tuchel once again
Anything can, and often does, happen where football is concerned, though the Spaniards would need to have an off day, and the Three Lions be at their very best to earn the points required.
Some might say that the best way to beat such a machine is for England to produce some moments of genuine creativity, and the one player who can provide just that, Cole Palmer, has been overlooked by Tuchel once again.
Although Palmer hasn't necessarily shone brightly in Xabi Alonso's Chelsea side this season, nor has he played badly enough to warrant still being left out in the cold by the German.
Perhaps the writing was on the wall as far back as this summer, when he was left out of the squad that travelled to the World Cup and came within a whisker of making it to the final.
To that end, Tuchel can at least point to the squad doing just fine without the 24-year-old.
German says decision is "not personal"
In his last six games for Chelsea, Palmer's Flashscore ratings have veered between a pretty awful 5.2 against Tottenham Hotspur, a match he was sent off in, and a 7.8 against Man Utd., a game that he scored in, and the Blues went on to win 2-0.
An injury kept Palmer out of the England squad for their matches in September and October, and seemingly that's what's counted against him on this occasion.
“It counts when you are in camp, and I just said it last time, Palmer misses too many opportunities to impress," Tuchel said in a recent press conference.
"It was a long camp. It was two-and-a-half weeks, and the boys who were in camp built something extraordinary throughout these weeks. That's why the credit goes to them. The trust is for them. If you are in camp, this is your chance to impress. So it's not personal.”
An important player for Chelsea
That seems an odd reason to base a decision on, particularly when Palmer has been one of Alonso's more important players for Chelsea in 2026/27.
His five goals and three assists so far (in all competitions) are only bettered by Morgan Rogers, who has also played more games than his teammate.
No one comes close to his total of 43 shots attempted (Rogers is next on 31), and only Pedro Neto can equal Palmer's 15 shots on target.
He's also created the joint-most big chances (six) as well as scoring the joint-most (three), whilst creating the most chances more generally (29).
In terms of his passing range, Palmer is the only Chelsea player to break the 200 barrier for passes that have ended in the final third (209); his 437 total passes are the most in the squad, as are the 366 he's completed, for an 83.75% return.
Even taking into account one-on-one duels, he's one of just two players (Rogers being the other) who have broken the century mark for duels attempted (112).
Bellingham called up for the first time despite a relatively poor start
Though Tuchel would never admit it, the decision to leave Palmer at home does seem a more personal than professional one.
In his stead, Jobe Bellingham has been called up to the senior squad for the first time, apparently because the German has been impressed by the 21-year-old.
With no goals to his name in 26/27, as well as just 16 total shots, of which only four were on target, not to mention two big chances created, both of which were unsuccessful, the notion that Bellingham somehow deserves the call-up ahead of Palmer appears to be a little hollow.
He has 155 passes into the final third, which is way down on his colleagues, though one area where he can say that he bettered the Chelsea man is with his 532 total passes, 449 of which were successful, giving him a completion rate of 84.4%.
And, 121 contested one-on-ones are also slightly more than Palmer, with 59 of them successful, giving Bellingham a 48.76% success rate.
If Tuchel truly believes that there's a chance for the younger Bellingham to excel at senior international level, then he should be given his chance.
However, to somehow suggest that he deserves it at the expense of a player whose all-round game has clearly been better this season could well put Tuchel back in the firing line if the experiment doesn't work.
Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.
