Deschamps expects 'spectacular' France-Spain semi-final

France manager Didier Deschamps has predicted a 'spectacular' semi-final when his side face Spain in a heavyweight World Cup showdown in Dallas on Tuesday. The two European powerhouses meet at the AT&T Stadium with a place in the final at stake.

Spain defeated France in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 on their way to winning the European Championship, and also beat Les Bleus in a nine-goal thriller in the Nations League semi-finals last year. However, Deschamps, who is stepping down after 14 years in charge at the end of the tournament, dismissed the relevance of those results.

'The past is in the past,' said Deschamps. 'They [Spain] did win in the past but I am looking forward to tomorrow. We are now at another level. We want to be in the final.'

Historic milestone within reach

Two-time world champions France can become only the third country to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. West Germany (1982, 1986, 1990) and Brazil (1994, 1998, 2002) are the only nations to have achieved that feat. Deschamps captained France to the world title in 1998, managed them to glory in 2018, and saw them lose on penalties to Argentina in the 2022 final in Qatar.

Deschamps acknowledged Spain's strong form, noting they have conceded only one goal in six games at this tournament. 'We know this could be a most spectacular game. Luis [de la Fuente] and myself know how to defend, and with the quality of two teams offensively, we can think it's going to be a spectacular game,' he said.

De la Fuente downplays favourite tag

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente played down Deschamps' claim that Spain are favourites. 'It doesn't mean anything,' he said. 'We are two great national teams facing one another. Whether we are favourites or not doesn't mean further pressure for us. We have that pressure anyway because we want to do well for our country.'

De la Fuente also quoted Roman general Julius Caesar: 'Julius Caesar always said that you can't win without suffering. I agree with that. That is one of the expressions I love. If you want to achieve big things in your life you need to prepare to suffer.'

Mbappe fit and ready

France have scored 16 goals in six games at this tournament, with Kylian Mbappe contributing eight goals and three assists. The 27-year-old was substituted late in France's 2-0 quarter-final win over Morocco in Boston due to a slight ankle issue, according to Deschamps. Mbappe trained away from the main squad on Monday but Deschamps confirmed he will be available for the semi-final.

'Kylian is doing well. He is at 100%. We can't go beyond 100. He is at 100%,' said Deschamps. Mbappe is tied with Argentina's Lionel Messi on eight goals in the race for the Golden Boot; a goal against Spain would put him ahead.

De la Fuente acknowledged the threat posed by Mbappe and France's other attacking talents, including Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise. 'They have great players but so do we,' he said. 'Of course we will have to think about these players, win our battles, be on the front foot and think about our style. It will be an extremely demanding match.'

The match kicks off at 20:00 BST in Dallas.