Goalless France will be looking to silence critics when they take on Spain in their Euro 2024 semi-final clash on Tuesday in Munich, with their opponents hoping to continue their impressive campaign even without key players.
- WHO:Spain vs France
- That:Euro 2024 semi-finals
- Where: Munich football stadium, Munich, Germany
- When:21:00 (19:00 GMT) start on Tuesday, July 9
- How to follow:Al Jazeera will bring you live text commentary of the game with build-up starting three hours before kick-off.
Spain and France, two titans of European football, will face each other in a thrilling semi-final clash between current and former tournament favourites.
Talisman Kylian Mbappé will lead the French forward line, while Promising young winger Lamine Yamal is also catching the eye, but France's form has faltered as the team was expected to sweep everything.
The only team with a 100 per cent record at Euro 2024, Spain lead the way in goals (11) and total attempts (102) and balls recovered (230), proving why they are now the favourites to lift the trophy.
France have been criticised for a series of unimpressive performances, including reaching the semi-finals without scoring a goal from open play.
Despite reaching the final of the last two World Cups, winning at Russia 2018 and losing only on penalties to Argentina at Qatar 2022, France's record at the Euros under coach Didier Deschamps is less impressive. In his 12 years in charge, their best result was a second-place finish on home soil in 2016.
In the quarter-finals, France beat Portugal on penalties, with Mbappé substituted after another game in which he spent more time fiddling with his mask than threatening the opposition goal.
Mbappe's form after suffering a broken nose in France's opener, and the fitness of striker Antoine Griezmann, remain big question marks ahead of the clash with Spain, who eliminated hosts Germany with an extra-time goal.
“I don't give a fuck” [about the critics]“We are semi-finalists. Do you have any doubts about the level of Antoine and Kylian? We have to realise that this is enough to be in the semi-finals. So I don’t see why we should be fussy.”
Can Spain excel even without key players?
Unlike France, Spain are in fine form with five consecutive wins, but will be without some key players in the semi-finals. Midfielder Pedri will miss the rest of the tournament after injuring his knee in the quarter-finals, while defenders Robin Le Normand and Dani Carvajal are suspended.
In the semi-finals, Nacho will play as a centre-back alongside Aymeric Laporte and 38-year-old full-back Jesus Navas, the last player from Spain's golden generation that won the 2010 World Cup and back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2012 at the same tournament, the UEFA European Championship.
Navas will share the right flank with 16-year-old winger Yamal, one of the key players of the Euros so far. The Barcelona star has been giving opposition defences a hard time alongside the slightly more experienced 21-year-old Nico Williams.
As a whole, the team is a blend of deep experience and raw talent that has thrived under the guidance of coach Luis de la Fuente.
“This is everyone’s team. Unity is strength and if we all keep pushing in the same direction, we can achieve our goals. If we connect with our fans, I will be more than happy to contribute to generating enthusiasm,” de la Fuente told reporters.
The winner of this match will face England or the Netherlands in the final on July 14.
Fun Fact
Spain is the only team to have won all five Euro 2024 matches, but no other team has ever won six consecutive Euro 2024 matches.
FIFA Ranking:
Spain (8), France (2)
Head to head record:
36 games:
- 16 victories for Spain
- 13 for France
- 7 draws
Last five games:
Spain:WWWWWW
France:DWDDW
