PREVIEW: All European semi-final sees France and Spain lock horns

France and Spain will kick off proceedings for this year’s World Cup semi-finals in Dallas, as they face off for just the second time in the tournament’s history.

La Roja have conceded just one goal so far this tournament, which came in their quarter-final tie with Belgium when Charles De Ketelaere headed home late in the first half. However, they have only scored 11 goals, which is certainly fewer than most would have expected given the star power they possess in attack and the free-flowing football they adopt so well.

Meanwhile, France have been similarly strong at the back, conceding just two goals, albeit against weaker opposition, whilst still finding the net 16 times so far this campaign. Eight of those have come from Kylian Mbappé, who remains top of the scoring charts for the tournament, whilst the other eight have been shared amongst Ousmane Dembélé (5), Bradley Barcola (2) and Desiré Doué (1).

Didier Deschamps’ men will be looking to become just the third country in history to reach three consecutive World Cup finals, joining West Germany (1982, 1986 & 1990) and Brazil (1994, 1998 & 2002). Should they do so, then Mbappé could very well become the first person in history to score in three consecutive finals, having already done so against Croatia in 2018 and Argentina in 2022; he would also become on the second player to feature in three consecutive finals, following in the footsteps of Cafu.

Should Spain make the final, however, it will be the first time they have done so since winning it in 2010, which was their only other appearance at that stage of the competition. With England in the semi-final on the other side of the draw, there is, of course, a chance we see a repeat of the Euro 2024 final, which saw Spain run out 2-1 winners.

Spain’s head coach, de la Fuente, spoke with the media ahead of the clash, stating: “I tell the players that we need to enjoy ourselves; we’re in a situation that might never happen again. That we be ourselves, and that we be wary of the opposition’s strengths. We absolutely must believe we want to go through. We’ll give it our all to reach the final.”

The game is scheduled to kick-off at 8pm BST, and will be broadcast live on ITV.