In what promises to be a mouth-watering affair at the iconic Allianz Arena in Munich, two multiple-time champions of the European Championships, Spain and France will square off in the first semi-final of Euro 2024.
Because they have a very young and comparatively inexperienced squad, Spain was not considered to be among the favorites by many fans. However, Luis de la Fuente’s boys have proved everyone wrong with their performances and they are currently the only surviving team who have won every single match they have played so far.
France’s case is a rather interesting one. Having started as the favourites, it is not a surprise to anyone that they are among the semi-finalists, but surprisingly, their star-studded team has not scored any goal from open play.
What have they done so far?
Spain has won all of their five matches so far, and they faced challenges in only one of those matches. The first Group B match was a 3-0 win over Croatia, where Alvaro Morata, Fabian Ruiz, and Dani Carvajal were on the scoresheet. Their next two matches saw La Roja defeating both Italy and Albania by a 1-0 margin. While Riccardo Calafiori’s own goal got them three points against Italy, Ferran Torres scored against Albania.
De la Fuente’s men took on newcomers Georgia in the Round of 16 tie where they won by a 4-1 margin. Rodri, Ruiz, Nico Williams, and Dani Olmo were the scorers. In the quarter-finals, Spain knocked out hosts Germany by a 2-1 margin, with Olmo and Mikel Merino scoring the goals.
France has had to really struggle to progress in the ongoing campaign but Didier Deschamps’ men have someone managed to find their way to the semis. Les Blues defeated Austria 1-0 in the first match, thanks to an own goal by Maximilian Wober. Their second match against the Netherlands was a 0-0 draw, but the third match against Poland ended 1-1. Kylian Mbappe scored his first Euro goal in this match, though it was from the penalty spot.
Fortune has been smiling brightly on Les Bleus throughout this competition as they defeated Belgium 1-0 in the Round of 16 courtesy of another own goal, scored by veteran defender Jan Vertonghen. Mbappe & Co. then beat Portugal on penalties in the quarter-final, where Joao Felix’s kick struck the woodwork while all of France’s five penalty-takers were on target.
Head to Head Record
Spain has the upper hand when it comes to head-to-head records. These two teams have met 36 times, where Spain has won 16 games while France was on the winning side 13 times with 7 matches ending in draws.
The last meeting between Spain and France was in 2021 at the UEFA Nations League. Thanks to goals from Mbappe and Karim Benzema, France won that tie 2-1. Mikel Oyarzabal was the lone goal-scorer for Spain.
Team News
With Dani Carvajal suspended, Jesus Navas could start in the right-back position for Spain
No coach would want to change a perfectly functioning starting XI ahead of an important fixture like the semi-final of the UEFA European Championships but de la Fuente will have his hands tied behind his back. Real Madrid right-back Dani Carvajal received marching orders in the last match and will not be playing in this game.
In his place, the like-for-like replacement will be Sevilla’s Jesus Navas, who might be 38 years old but happens to be the official captain of the team. Pedri had to be stretchered off after a tackle with Toni Kroos in the quarter-final. He is out with a ligament injury, meaning last match’s goal-scorer Olmo might play from the start in this match.
On the other hand, Deschamps will have all of his players fit and available for this match, but he too is likely to make changes. Adrien Rabiot is available for selection once again after serving his suspension and although Real Madrid youngster Eduardo Camavinga did a fine job against Portugal, it will not be a surprise if the manager goes back to the Juventus midfielder.
Predicted XIs
Spain (4-3-3): Unai Simon: Jesus Navas, Nacho Fernandez, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Cucurella; Dani Olmo, Rodri, Fabian Ruiz: Lamine Yamal, Alvaro Morata, Nico Williams.
France (4-3-3): Mike Maignan; Jules Kounde, William Saliba, Dayot Upamecano, Theo Hernandez; N’Golo Kante, Aurelien Tchouameni, Adrien Rabiot; Ousmane Dembele, Randal Kolo Muani, Kylian Mbappe.
Prediction
While France did start this tournament as favorites, it has to be admitted that Spain has looked most likely to clinch the silverware with every passing game. Given that they will be high on confidence after knocking hosts Germany out, the three-time champions will start as favorites for this clash.