Canadian women approach Spain with plenty of respect at Arnold Clark Cup

After tying host England and defeating Germany at the Arnold Clark Cup, Canada may face its toughest test at the four-team tournament in the form of Spain.

A win Wednesday at Wolverhampton's Molineux Stadium and the sixth-ranked Canadian women (1-0-1) will hoist the event's shiny new cone-shaped trophy.

But No. 9 Spain (0-0-2) arrived at the inaugural England competition on a 16-game winning streak during which it outscored its opposition 96-0. And despite playing to two ties, the Spanish women looked dangerous against No. 3 Germany and No. 8 England, posing problems with their smothering press.

"I think they're favourites to win the (2022) Euros," Canada's coach Bev Priestman told reporters on Tuesday.

"They're a team that's brilliant on the ball," she added. "And it asks questions of you defensively. You have to be really disciplined defensively to be able to cope with them and how much they move the ball … They've got top top players. It's going to be a great test for us.

"But I do also think there is opportunity to hurt Spain as well. We've seen snippets of that in this tournament."

The Spanish roster features 10 players from Champions League winner Barcelona, including attacking midfielder Alexia Putellas, winner of the Ballon d'Or, Best FIFA Women's Player, and UEFA Player of the Year.

Putellas scored 26 goals and added 19 assists as Barcelona won the Spanish League, Cup and Champions League last season. Barca teammate Jenni Hermoso tied for the Spanish league scoring lead with 31 goals.

Priestman believes her team's speed — "We've got bags of pace" — and ability to strike in transition can make a difference against Spain's aggressive press.

Canada will have to take its chances, however, against a Spanish side that