Beth Mead vs Alexandra Popp: 5 players to watch in the Euro 2022 Final | OneFootball

It’s all come down to one match as England face Germany at Wembley for the right to be crowned Euro 2022 champions.

With Wembley sold out, this match is no doubt the biggest in the Lionesses’ history and Sarina Wiegman’s side have the chance to do what no other England Women’s side has ever done before –– win a major competition.

While England have the home advantage, Germany are the experienced campaigners, having won the tournament on eight occasions in the past.

With so much to play for, there is very little to separate the two sides on paper. Both have won every one of their matches, both have conceded just one goal all season and both have forwards who are leading the Golden Boot race.

Given the plethora of world-class names on show, there are understandably a number of enticing individual matchups on paper.

We’ve selected five players who could play a crucial role at Wembley this weekend:

Beth Mead

Mead has been England’s most prolific player since Wiegman took over and has carried over her form from the past year into this tournament.

So far, she is the tournament’s joint-top goalscorer with six. This includes the winner in England’s opening game against Austria and a hat-trick against Norway.

The 27-year-old is now England’s top scorer ever in a single Euros and has frequently been hailed as a superstar by former Gunners star Ian Wright.

Mead has made a habit of scoring at crucial times in big games and the Wembley crowd will be crossing their fingers that this continues on Sunday.

Alexandra Popp

Joining Mead at the top of the scoring charts is Germany striker Popp, who has netted in every single match so far.

Popp missed both Euro 2013 and 2017 through injury, but has more than made up for lost time.

The 31-year-old is a commanding physical presence up front and England will have to find a way to stop the Wolfsburg star if they are to have any chance of lifting the trophy.

Millie Bright

England’s best chance of stopping Popp will be through Bright, who has been incredibly solid for the Lionesses all tournament.

The Chelsea star put in a heroic performance against Spain and has been part of an England defence that has kept four clean sheets in five games.

The 28-year-old was sent off in England’s 2019 World Cup semi-final against the USA, so perhaps now is her time for redemption.

Lena Oberdorf

Named as GOAL’s best wonderkid in 2020, Oberdorf has more than lived up to the hype.

The 20-year-old has dominated the midfield in every match she’s played so far and was seemingly everywhere during Germany’s semi-final victory over France.

Oberdorf’s battle with Keira Walsh will be fascinating. Walsh has pulled the strings for England in the centre of the park all tournament. Yet, if anyone can stop her, it’s Oberdorf.

Alessia Russo

There’s a strong chance that Russo won’t even start the final on Sunday. However, her impact as a super-sub cannot go ignored.

The Manchester United star has scored four times as a substitute so far and scored an outstanding backheel during England’s semi-final against Sweden.

While it is likely to be Ellen White who gets the nod from Wiegman, it could well be Russo who has the deciding impact on the match.