Spain vs France Preview

Three-time European Championship winners Spain will look to become the first team to book their place in the final of the this years edition when they face France in the semi final this Tuesday.

Spain qualified for this stage by beating hosts Germany 2-1 in extra time after a nail-biting 1-1 draw in normal time. The win ensured that Luis de la Fuente’s side kept their 100% winning run in the tournament in Germany. Mikel Merino’s 119th-minute winner also extended their unbeaten run to eight games with the last seven in that sequence ending with a win.

But although La Roja have been free-flowing in front of goal in that run, their resolute defensive displays should attract the bulk of praise as De la Fuente’s men have conceded just once to an opposition player at the tournament. They also have not conceded more than once in any of those seven aforementioned wins so they head into this blockbuster semi-final meeting with France fully confident especially as they’ve restricted Les Bleus to a goal or less in seven of their last eight head-to-head clashes.

Meanwhile, France snuck through to this round beating Portugal on penalties in the quarter-final. The game saw them struggle again in front of goal with superstar Kylian Mbappe unable to dazzle as we have come to expect.

The French captain’s confidence and that of his teammates may be damp for this clash as they try to better their attacking input having not seen their own player score a single goal from open play. Manager Didier Deschamps admitted his side needed to improve in front of goal yet even so, his reputation as a serial winner continues to grow.

The French World Cup winner was appointed in 2012 and could reach a fourth major final out of a possible six should his side win again here, keeping alive his own target of becoming only the second person after Germany’s Berti Vogts to win a European Championship as both a player and a manager.