Good evening! Thank you for joining Sports Mole for tonight's glamour friendly between England and Spain at Wembley! This marks the last game of 2016 for both nations, and also the final game of Gareth Southgate's interim reign, so while it is only a friendly, there is still plenty to play for from the hosts' perspective at least. Before we get into that, though, let's take a look at the team news...

ENGLAND STARTING XI: Hart; Clyne, Stones, Cahill, Rose; Dier, Henderson, Sterling, Lingard, Lallana; Vardy

SPAIN STARTING XI: Reina; Carvajal, Martinez, Nacho, Azpilicueta; Busquets, Mata, Thiago; Vitolo, Silva, Aduriz

What can we make of those two teams, then? Well, the news from the England camp is no surprise, with three changes made by Gareth Southgate as expected. The most notable absentee is Wayne Rooney, who did not take part in training on Monday and subsequently withdrew from the squad prior to this match. Jordan Henderson captains the team in his place, with the Liverpool midfielder getting the armband at international level for the second time having also led his country out in the 0-0 draw against Slovenia last month.

Rooney's Manchester United teammate Jesse Lingard comes into the side in place of the skipper, and he will start alongside Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana in that trio behind the striker. Both Sterling and Lallana have been on fine form for their respective clubs this season, and Lallana in particular has carried that onto the international stage. He seems to have developed more of an eye for goal in recent months and has two goals in England's last four games.

Lallana was joined on the scoresheet by his Liverpool teammate Daniel Sturridge against Scotland last time out, but the striker drops out of the starting XI this evening to make room for Jamie Vardy. With Harry Kane also having left the squad following that win over Scotland, it is a chance for Vardy to show what he can do again following what has been a rather slow start to the campaign for him - particularly compared to last season. He has been dropped at times by Leicester and, as a result, has fallen down the England pecking order too.

Eric Dier remains alongside Henderson in the heart of the midfield, with Southgate's third change to his starting XI coming at right-back as Nathaniel Clyne is given the nod ahead of Kyle Walker. John Stones and Gary Cahill - the latter of whom capped off the scoring against Scotland last time out - remain the centre-back partnership for Southgate, while Tottenham's Danny Rose continues on the left. Joe Hart, as ever, is between the sticks.

As for Spain, their headline inclusion is that of veteran striker Aritz Aduriz up front. The forward came off the bench to score the final goal in his side's 4-0 win over Macedonia on Saturday and is rewarded with a start tonight, with Alvaro Morata dropping out of the team. Chelsea's Diego Costa, who has been in fine form in the Premier League this season, dropped out of the squad entirely last week.

There are three Premier League players in the starting XI for Spain this evening - one each for Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City. Cesar Azpilicueta comes in for Arsenal's Nacho Monreal - who also scored against Macedonia - at left-back, while Juan Mata is another change in place of Koke. David Silva, meanwhile, is comfortably the most experienced member of the current squad with 108 caps to his name, while his tally of 28 goals is also the highest among the current group of players.

Indeed, Mata is the only other member of the Spain squad to have hit double figures at international level, so it isn't the most prolific bunch that they had had in recent years. With the likes of Iniesta, Pique and Ramos to name just three all absent too, it is a relatively inexperienced Spain squad in comparison to what they could boast. That is not to say that they will be an easy touch, though, and the fact that they can still name a midfield trio that includes Busquets, Mata and Thiago when not at full strength speaks volumes.

In all, manager Julen Lopetegui has made five changes to the side that beat Macedonia last time out, including in goal as Manchester United's David de Gea is given the night off and former Liverpool shot-stopper - who has had to play second fiddle to Casillas and De Gea for pretty much his entire international career - is given a rare start. Martinez also comes in for Bartra at centre-back.

It may be missing some star names, but that is still a formidable side that England will be coming up against this evening, and Gareth Southgate could not have picked a much tougher test to prove himself for the last time. His four-game contract as interim boss expires tonight, and a victory over a team like Spain could well seal his place as Sam Allardyce's permanent successor. Southgate has won two and drawn one of his three games so far, and at the very least he will be desperate to remain unbeaten during his spell.

Even defeat is unlikely to affect his chances of being the next permanent boss too much, though. Southgate is currently a 1/16 favourite to get the job, way out ahead of Alan Pardew (16/1), Roberto Mancini and Arsene Wenger (both 20/1). The general consensus seems to be that he is not the most inspiring of choices as manager, but he is the best bet right now with the FA in something of a sticky situation following the swift exit of Allardyce.

Southgate's claims have been endorsed by a string of current and former England players, but the team's performances with him at the helm so far have not exactly got the rest of thew world running scared. As expected, England dominated in his opening match against Malta, but still only managed to come away with a 2-0 win and put in a rather tame second-half display. Against Slovenia they were held to a goalless draw, and even last time out against Scotland their 3-0 victory very much flattered them.

Football is, of course, a results-based business and so far Southgate has got those results, but tonight's game could be a much better indicator of where England are compared to some of the best in the world. Having said that, the Three Lions beat France, Germany and Portugal in the build-up to Euro 2016 - not to mention Wales at the tournament itself, completed the set for the semi-finalists - and that didn't seem to do them any good whatsoever.

England's 2-1 defeat against Iceland in France still casts a shadow over this group of players, but it is their only defeat in their last 11 outings in all competitions. That run stretches back to March when they were beaten by Netherlands, since when they have won seven games and drawn three. They have also kept a clean sheet in every match since that Iceland loss, and another tonight would make it five on the bounce for the first time since October 2014 - a run which began with their final group game at that year's World Cup.

At home things are even more impressive for England, who have won 14 of their last 15 games on these shores since November 2013's back-to-back defeats at the hands of Chile and Germany. They have won each of their last five since that 2-1 loss at the hands of Netherlands in March, keeping clean sheets in their last three. That run also includes victory over reigning European champions Portugal, so not all of the games in that run have come against minnows in qualifying.

As far as friendlies are concerned, England have won five of their last six - again with the exception being that defeat to Netherlands - including wins over France, Germany and Portugal. They have only lost two of their last 15 friendlies since November 2013, winning nine, although one of those defeats did come against Spain. At home, they have won seven and lost just one of their last eight friendlies since those successive defeats in November 2013.

There is no doubting that Wembley has been something of a fortress for England since its reopening, then, and Spain will arrive in London expecting a difficult test despite the relatively uncertainty which surrounds the hosts at the moment. Spain's recent history is well known and up there with the best in world football, but it is fair to say that they have been on something of a decline in recent years, suffering early exits at both the 2014 World Cup and this summer's Euros.

Indeed, it is worth remembering that Spain went out in the same round as England at Euro 2016, although admittedly they were dumped out by Italy while England suffered that infamous defeat to Iceland. That exit saw the end of Vicente del Bosque's historic reign as manager, and Julen Lopetegui has since taken on the reins. He has certainly made a promising start too, with Spain winning four and drawing one of his five games in charge so far.

Perhaps even more impressive than his results are the goalscoring statistics, with Spain have found the back of the net 17 times in those five outings - an average of more than three per game. That tally was helped hugely by an 8-0 drubbing of Liechtenstein, but it is an impressive start whichever way you slice it. La Roja have been formidable in defence too, with just one goal conceded under Lopetegui, and that coming in the 1-1 draw with Italy - the only match he has failed to win as Spain boss so far.

As you might expect, such form has left Spain in good stead after four games of World Cup qualifying, although their hopes of reaching the World Cup are perhaps more tenuous this time around than in recent years. Spain were drawn in a group alongside Italy and, with only one team guaranteed a place in Russia, it promises to be a very interesting battle between those two European heavyweight. Spain are currently just ahead, but only on goal difference with both sides having amassed 10 points from their four outings.

One telling statistic that the powers of Spain's golden generation may just be waning is their record since the start of the 2014 World Cup. La Roja have lost nine times from their last 32 outings, which is a record many teams might be fairly proud of, especially considering they have won 20 of those games too. However, when you consider that is the same amount of games as they had lost in their 111 matches prior to that, it is clear to see that there has been a decline from the dizzyingly high standards they set during their best years. Spain have lost as many games in the last two-and-a-half years as they did in the eight years prior to that.

Away from home, Spain are unbeaten in eight matches since March 2015, when they were beaten by Netherlands, including five wins and three draws. Once again, though, that doesn't tell the full story as they are still a lot less dangerous on the road than they are at home. They have scored only nine goals in those last eight away games, whereas in their last eight home games they have hit the back of the net 29 times.

Spain have also only won one of their last five away friendlies since June 2014 and are tonight looking to make it back-to-back victories in friendly games for the first time since November 2013. Home and away, though, they have lost just one of their last eight friendlies - a shock 1-0 home defeat to Georgia in June - with one of their five wins in that time coming against England last November.

PREDICTION: Right, we're 10 minutes away from kickoff at Wembley, which means that it is time for a prediction! England's record on home soil is a formidable one, but they don't often coming up against a side of Spain's quality - even accounting for their absentees tonight. It is a very interesting test for Southgate's side, but their recent performances have not been hugely impressive and Spain have the ability to punish them where Scotland in particular did not last time out. I'll go for a 2-1 win for the visitors.

England's recent record against Spain is not a good one at all, with four defeats from their last five meetings. The only exception in that time did come during their last clash here at Wembley, though, with Frank Lampard scoring the only goal of the game five years ago. That Lampard strike is the only goal England have scored in those most recent five meetings with La Roja too.

Spain take the recent history, then, but England do have home advantage, and that has counted well for them in this fixture down the years. They have won seven of their nine home matches against Spain, although the two defeats have come in Spain's last four visits here - not including Euro 1996, which was classed as a neutral venue despite England hosting. England also won that one, though, so this stadium and its predecessor have not been happy hunting grounds for today's visitors in the past.

That Euro 1996 meeting, which England won on penalties before their agonising exit at the hands of Germany in the semi-finals, is the most recent competitive meeting between these two sides, with the last six clashes - seven including today's - coming in friendlies. The most recent of those before tonight's match came almost exactly a year a go to the day when Spain ran out 2-0 winners courtesy of strikes from Mario Gaspar and Santi Cazorla in the final 20 minutes.

Right, the players are out and the anthems have been sung so we are just about ready to go here! It is the final match of the year for both of these sides, and they will be desperate to go out on a high.

KICKOFF: Here we go, then! Spain get us underway at Wembley for Gareth Southgate's final match as interim boss.

Spain have their first threatening break forward as Carvajal clips a cross in towards the back post, but it is too close to Hart and there is only one winner when he goes to challenge Silva in the air.

Azpilicueta goes down in a heap here following a heavy challenge from Vardy. The Leicester man was clearing the ball and went sliding in to do it, but he followed through and his feet were high. That could have been a nasty one for Azpilicueta, but he looks fine to continue.

England have dominated possession in their World Cup qualifiers so far, but they may have to adapt their game today. Spain have seen the majority of the ball in the opening exchanges, and England could be forced to settle for counter-attacks for the most part.

What a start this is for England! They take the lead after just nine minutes, and it is another goal for in-form Lallana. The Liverpool man was the architect of it too with an exquisite pass around the defence to send Vardy clean through on goal. The striker's touch is poor, but he still manages to smuggle it around Reina before the Spain keeper brings him down. Lallana steps up to the resulting spot kick, and he confidently strokes it into the top corner.

Incidentally, there was no card shown to Reina for that. If that was a qualifier it could well have been a red card, but the referee has been lenient in the opening exchanges.

The Liverpool midfielder is England's form player at the moment!

CHANCE! Spain have their first chance of the match at the end of a good team move. The visitors get in behind the England defence down the right channel and the ball is pulled back to Vitolo on the edge of the box, but he drags his subsequent effort wide of the target when he should have done better.

All too often England performances are seen as rather dull and drab affairs, mainly due to the opposition defending in numbers. Already tonight, though, England have found a bit of space on the counter-attack which is usually lacking against the smaller teams. It could be that Spain's style of play suits England and will make them look a bit more exciting, although there is still a long way to go in this game.

Some good possession for England this time and they swing a few decent passes together to send Clyne down the right flank. The Liverpool man cuts inside, but the ball just runs away from him and Spain are able to clear.

Here is that penalty from Lallana. Reina guessed the right way, but there was too much on it from the England man...

We're midway through the first half, and so far so good for England. They have surrendered the majority of possession but have pressed well and looked very dangerous on the counter-attack. Southgate will be pleased with what he has seen from his side.

There some concern over Lallana here. He goes down to receive treatment having been caught by Thiago a minute or two ago. Southgate won't take any risks in a game like this...

ENGLAND SUB: Sure enough, Lallana limps down the tunnel, which is particularly worrying news for Liverpool. On comes Theo Walcott in his place.

That change has seen Walcott go onto the right wing, with Lingard switching inside and Sterling on the left.

YELLOW CARD! The referee has been lenient so far, but he finally produces his first card to Sterling. The free kick actually goes England's way for a foul on Rose moments before, but Sterling then went right down the shin of Aduriz. That was a nasty challenge again.

YELLOW CARD! Martinez swiftly follows Sterling into the book for a cynical challenge on Walcott after being caught in possession.

The resulting free kick is only cleared as far as Walcott, but he doesn't really catch is effort and it is easy for Reina.

YELLOW CARD! The cards are flowing now! Walcott is the third in quick succession to go into the book for a sliding challenge on Azpilicueta.

Spain have seen plenty of the ball tonight, but they have only really had that Vitolo chance so far. England have been shaky in defence at times in recent games, but so far they have been pretty solid when Spain have had the ball.

The game has been broken up by a number of fouls in the last 10 minutes or so. They certainly aren't treating this game as a friendly - there could have easily been three red cards already from the challenges of Vardy, Reina and Sterling.

Important defending from Martinez as he slides in at the near post to turn Sterling's low cross behind for a corner.

Good play from England as a quick one-two sends Sterling down the left and he again sends a low cross into the box. This time it is just too far in front of Vardy, though, and Azpilicueta puts it behind at the back post.

The resulting corner is nodded down by Vardy before breaking back to the Leicester man, but he snatches at the follow-up effort and slices it well wide.

Less than five minutes to go until half time here at Wembley and still it is England who lead. The hosts are fairly comfortable too and have not really looked like conceding so far.

The referee has a word with both Cahill and Aduriz here over something that must have happened off the ball. It has been a fairly inconsistent display from the ref, it must be said, and he now seems to be taking a harder line following a lenient start.

There will be two added minutes at the end of this first half.

YELLOW CARD! Rose is the fourth player in the book in this first half for a late challenge on Carvajal.

The first half comes to an end at Wembley, then, and it is England who have the lead at half time against the heavyweights of Spain. The visitors have controlled possession for the most part, but England have defended well and are picking off Spain whenever they get the chance. Their tactics have been spot-on so far, and it has certainly done no harm for his hopes of getting the job on a permanent basis.

The only goal of the game so far came from the penalty spot as Lallana made it three in his last three appearances for England with a confident effort from 12 yards. Lallana was the architect too with a brilliant through-ball to Vardy, who was then brought down by Reina. Lallana's finish was unerring, but the Vardy of last season may have snapped the original chance up himself.

In terms of goalmouth chances, that is pretty much all we have seen in this game so far. Spain have only really had one sight of goal despite their possession, with Vitolo picking the ball up on the edge of the box only to drag his effort wide of the target. There has been a surprisingly lack of cutting edge in the final third from the visitors, but England also deserve credit for that.

Gareth Southgate will be very pleased with what he has seen from his side so far, and there was only really one negative in that first half, with goalscorer Lallana being forced off through injury. It has been a fairly spiky game for a friendly too, and had it been a competitive game then the referee would have had a decision to make on fouls from Vardy, Reina and Sterling as to whether to show a red card or not. As it is, there have been four yellows, three of which have been shown to England.

KICKOFF: England get us back underway for the second half, and there have been a couple of changes at the break for the hosts. Tom Heaton and Phil Jagielka come on for Hart and Cahill, while Spain have brought on Iago Aspas for his debut in place of Vitolo and Koke for Mata.

SHOT! Half a chance in the opening seconds for England as Lingard slides a pass down the right channel for Walcott, who takes his shot on early, but it takes a deflection on its way into the side-netting.

What a start to the second half for England! Vardy's goal drought comes to an end, and it is a bullet header from the Leicester striker. Henderson's ball into the box picked Vardy out, and he got in front of Carvajal to send a diving header flying past Reina.

CHANCES! More chances for England as they go in search of what could be a killer third! This time it is Walcott who gets in on the break, but his low drive towards the bottom corner is well kept out by Reina. The ball eventually falls to Henderson, but he drags the follow-up effort wide.

Here is that thunderous header from Vardy...

CHANCE! Much more like it from Spain. This time they actually come forward with come purpose and Silva powers an effort towards the near post that takes a deflection and needs a smart save from Heaton. The ball almost drops for Aspas, but Clyne does well to prevent the former Liverpool man a debut goal.

SPAIN SUB: Another change from the visitors and it is another debut too as Manchester United's Ander Herrera replaces Thiago.

A Mexican wave snakes around Wembley, but it won't be through boredom as the fans must be pretty pleased with what they have seen from England tonight. They have the lead as we approach the hour and they are looking fairly comfortable with it.

SAVE! Heaton has already had more to do during his time on the field than Hart did, but this is bread and butter for the Burnley man as Koke fires a shot straight at the keeper.

If reports are to be believed, Southgate's future has all but been decided before this game, but this performance will not do him any harm whatsoever. England look free and vibrant when they have the chance to counter.

Almost a chance for England again as Lingard breaks through down the left channel before taking the ball past Reina, but the angle is too tight to go for goal and his cross is cut out.

SPAIN SUBS: Another couple of changes for the visitors here as Isco and Alvaro Morata replace Silva and Aduriz. Not a bad couple of players to be able to bring on!

ENGLAND SUB: England make a change of their own here as Andros Townsend replaces Sterling.

YELLOW CARD! As that sub was being made, Aspas went into the book for a slight push on the linesman.

ENGLAND SUB: Yet another sub for the hosts as Vardy comes off to be replaced by Marcus Rashford.

Just 20 minutes remaining in this game now, and while Spain are more than capable of coming back in that time, it would be an undeserved comeback. England have been the better side tonight and so far deserve this two-goal advantage.

SAVE! Another save for Heaton to make, but again it is a fairly comfortable one as he gets down to keep out Morata's effort.

England break into the box again here, this time through Clyne, but he looks up and can't pick out another white shirt in the area.

Another half-chance for England as this time Rashford darts into the box to latch on to Dier's through-ball. For the third time tonight, Reina is beaten to it and the ball is taken around him, but Rashford can't keep it in.

YELLOW CARD! Carvajal is the latest player in the book for a dreadful challenge on Rose after being beaten for pace by the full-back. Not quite a red card, but that was a very heavy challenge.

SHOT! Rose collects the ball up from a corner around 30 yards from goal and gives in to the crowd's wish for him to 'Shoooooooot!' They may not be calling quite so loudly next time, though, as the Tottenham man drags a powerful strike closer to the corner flag.

SPAIN SUB: Another change for the visitors sees Manchester City's Nolito replace Busquets.

ENGLAND SUB: England also make a change, and it is a debut for Aaron Cresswell as he replaces Rose.

The minutes keep ticking by now and England remain solid in their shape defensively. Spain just haven't been able to find a way through tonight.

The visitors do almost cut England open with some incisive play in and around the box this time, but Stones is across at the front post to turn Aspas's pass behind for a corner.

Only five minutes remain here at Wembley, and the priority for England now seems to be to keep their clean sheet intact. It would be some collapse if they failed to win this game now, but Southgate is taking no chances.

England began 2016 by beating Germany and look like finishing it by beating Spain. Not bad if you discount what happened in between!

It's not quite game over yet! Aspas marks his debut in memorable fashion by cutting inside and firing a fine effort in off the far post - a far cry from the player we saw during his Liverpool days!

There will be five minutes of added time at the end of this match. Still hope for Spain!

CHANCE! Big chance for Spain to complete the late turnaround! It is another slick move from the visitors and the ball eventually drops to Isco, but he fires a half-volley wide when he should have done better!

Heartbreak for England as they let a two-goal lead slip in the dying stages at Wembley! Isco levels things up as he collects the ball on the chest on the right side of the area before squeezing his finish through the legs of Heaton from a tight angle.

Ah. That puts something of a dampener on what had been an encouraging display from England. They led 2-0 heading into the 89th minute but somehow have thrown it away and end Gareth Southgate's interim reign with a 2-2 draw against Spain. Some may have taken that result before kickoff, but it will feel like defeat for England now. Those two late Spain goals may not have a huge impact on whether Southgate gets the job or not, but it certainly makes things less impressive than signing off with a win over Spain.

Right, that is all we have time for this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for tonight's match as England throw away a two-goal lead in the dying stages to end 2016 with a 2-2 draw with Spain. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too. From me, though, it is goodbye for now!