The key players who could decide Sunday's final
Lauren James (England)
The 21-year-old forward missed England's last-eight and last-four clashes while she served a two-match ban for a red card she was shown after stepping on the back of defender Michelle Alozie in the Lionesses' last-16 battle with Nigeria. Before the incident World Cup debutant James had netted three times in the group stage and is still joint top of the competition's assist charts with three, despite her absence. Replacement Ella Toone scored the opener in their 3-1 semi-final victory, so it remains to be seen whether England manager Sarina Wiegman will risk tinkering with a line-up that has more recently clicked in favour of James' early-tournament potency, or save her as a weapon off the bench.
Jennifer Hermoso (Spain)
With double Ballon D'Or winner Alexia Putellas seemingly struggling with her fitness, controversial Spain head coach Jorge Vilda has relied on strong showings by other members of his side. Barcelona striker Hermoso, a team-mate of England's Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh and her side's all-time top goal-scorer, has looked especially fearsome, scoring three times and providing two assists en route to Spain's first World Cup final. Team-mate Aitana Bonmati shares identical statistics, giving La Roja a potent power in attack even without Putellas on top form.
Mary Earps (England)
Keeper Earps could be called into action more than any other time in the tournament against Spain, who enter Sunday's encounter with a competition-leading 17 goals. The 30-year-old has thrived since becoming Wiegman's first choice between the sticks and last year won the Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper award after conceding just two goals and keeping four clean sheets in England's Euro 2022-winning campaign.
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