France manager Didier Deschamps insists he still regards Spain as the clear favorites ahead of their highly anticipated World Cup semi-final showdown in Arlington, Texas.
The European heavyweights are set to clash at the AT&T Stadium in a match widely viewed as a meeting between the tournament’s two strongest teams.
While France have entertained fans with a series of electric attacking displays, Spain’s campaign took some time to find its rhythm after starting with a surprise goalless draw against Cape Verde.
Despite his own team’s impressive form, Deschamps is placing the pressure on the opposition, pointing out that France have lost their last two encounters against Spain.
“Forget about the first game against Cape Verde,” Deschamps remarked during his pre-match press conference. “Ever since then, Spain have confirmed that they are the favourites. I don’t want to add extra pressure to Luis [de la Fuente] and their team—he knows very well that people are expecting great things of Spain.”
Deschamps praised Spain’s balanced approach, noting their defensive solidity alongside their lethal attacking threats.“Spain can attack well, and they can defend very well.
They’ve only conceded one goal in the last six or seven matches.
Responding to Deschamps’ comments, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente dismissed the pre-game mind games with a smile, emphasizing that tag classifications hold no weight once the whistle blows.
“Since the beginning, I’ve always said that the fact that people say we’re favourites or not doesn’t mean anything,” De la Fuente told reporters.
“It doesn’t. It’s not decisive. Regardless of whether we’re favourites or not, it doesn’t create additional pressure. We have that pressure anyway. We want to do well for our country.”
The Spanish coach highlighted that both semi-finals represent matches between elite footballing nations, with the squad fully prepared for the high stakes.
With both teams possessing incredible offensive depth, Deschamps believes the semifinal is primed to be a classic encounter.
One major talking point is how France plans to contain Spanish winger Lamine Yamal, who proved to be a thorn in Les Bleus’ side during the Euro 2024 semi-finals and the UEFA Nations League.
While acknowledging Yamal’s ability to turn a match on its head, Deschamps expressed confidence in his defensive setup.
“Have I studied Yamal and his assets? Yes, he’s one of the players that can really make a difference on the pitch,” Deschamps said.
“All opponents should try to limit the strength of the other team, but we have many solutions. When it comes to one-on-ones, it could be tough. But having a one-on-one against some of my players is not an easy task either.”
In a major boost for France, Deschamps confirmed that captain Kylian Mbappé is fully fit to start. The forward had raised injury concerns after taking a knock and being substituted late during the quarter-final victory over Morocco, but he has since been cleared to lead the French attack on Tuesday night.