France coach Didier Deschamps has named Spain as favourites ahead of Tuesday’s World Cup semi-final between the two European heavyweights.
France and Spain will meet at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, in a match widely regarded as a contest between two of the tournament’s strongest teams.
Although France have produced several impressive performances, Deschamps believes Spain have demonstrated why they entered the competition among the leading contenders.
Spain began their campaign with a goalless draw against Cape Verde but have since recovered to secure a place in the semi-finals.
“Forget about the first game against Cape Verde,” Deschamps said.
“Ever since then, Spain have confirmed that they are the favourites.”
The France coach highlighted Spain’s strength in attack and defence, noting that they had conceded only once in their last six or seven matches.
Deschamps also pointed to France’s recent record against Spain, with Les Bleus losing their previous two encounters.
De la Fuente dismisses favourites tag
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said being described as favourites would have no effect on the outcome of the semi-final.
“Since the beginning, I’ve always said that the fact that people say we’re favourites or not doesn’t mean anything,” he said.
“It’s not decisive.”
De la Fuente described France and Spain as two major national teams capable of reaching the World Cup final.
He also dismissed suggestions that the favourites tag would place additional pressure on his players.
“We have that pressure anyway. We want to do well for our country,” he added.
Deschamps predicted an entertaining contest because of the attacking quality within both teams.
“With the quality of the two teams offensively, I think we could think that it is going to be a spectacular game,” he said.
The France coach also identified Spain winger Lamine Yamal as one of the players capable of deciding the match.
Yamal scored against France in Spain’s victories during the 2024 European Championship semi-final and last year’s UEFA Nations League.
Deschamps said France would attempt to limit the winger’s influence but maintained that his team also possessed several players capable of creating problems in individual situations.
He also confirmed that France captain Kylian Mbappe was “100 percent” fit after sustaining a knock during the quarter-final victory over Morocco.
