“No fear being the favourite” – de la Fuente on World Cup quarter-final tie with Belgium | OneFootball

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente says he and his side are not fazed by the weight of expectation as the current European champions gear up to battle Belgium for a place in the semi-finals of the World Cup.

Spain have been under the radar for most of this tournament so far, following a shock goalless draw with minnows Cape Verde, La Roja then went on to hammer Saudi Arabia and glide past a chaotic Uruguay to top their group.

Billed as one of the favourites heading into the World Cup, Spain haven’t blown anyone away like France nor have their star players grabbed the headlines like Argentina, Norway, or England.

But their well-drilled side has made it to the quarters without really breaking a sweat, they are yet to concede a goal in five games and have rarely looked like doing so.

Spain are the favourites to win the tie in light of Belgium’s unconvincing performances – bar the 4-1 victory over the United States in the round of 32 – but that tagline meant little to de la Fuente when facing the press before the clash.

“I don’t have any fear about being the favourite or not. The favouritism doesn’t guarantee anything,” he said.

“What I can tell you is that we’ve done the work. We’ve prepared. We are ready for these kinds of games where, by the way, there are no favourites. “Whoever’s considered the favourite is just something of a matter of opinion.

“We have to think about our own game and we have to know that tomorrow the game will be tough. It’ll be difficult. We have to be our best to be victorious.”

One of the players that needs to be at his best for Spain will be Lamine Yamal. The 18-year old Barcelona star hasn’t quite hit the heights he is capable of thus far, while fellow stars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, and Harry Kane have all done so.

Just one goal and assist hasn’t set the world alite, even though Yamal arrived in this tournament still nursing a late-season injury. De la Fuente alluded there is more to come from his young prodigy.

He said: “We know that the best version of him, the attacking Lamine, is something that we haven’t quite seen yet in this World Cup. Not to the level that we’re used to.”

“Against Portugal was one of his best performances [and] a very important day for his development.”

Yamal did show his class against Portugal with his incisive movements and sheer pace, he ran PSG full-back Nuno Mendes ragged especially during the first half of that very tightly contested match-up.

“He doesn’t need extra motivation. You actually sometimes have to calm his intensity. He’s very motivated – he wants to do so much,” de la Fuente said.

Elsewhere across the pitch, players such as Rodri and Cubarsi have been arguably the players of the tournament in their individual positions, and they will both be tested defensively.

Belgium have scored the third most goals out of any side at this World Cup and their vast amount of Premier League experience could give them an edge over this relatively young Spanish side.

Spain’s head coach made it clear he has recognised the strength of his latest opponents.

He said: “Tomorrow’s game will ⁠be the hardest that we’ve faced to this point. Belgium is a very powerful team.

“These are players who are used to winning. It’s going to be a challenging match. Trust me we are only thinking about Belgium tomorrow.”

Spain have already gone further than their previous three World Cup appearances, winning a World Cup knockout game for the first time since the 2010 final.

The European champions are currently on an unbeaten run of 35 straight matches and will hope to continue that fantastic form against the Belgians.

Spain and Belgium have previously met 22 different times, with their first meeting dating back over a century.

La Roja have claimed 12 victories over the Red Devils, while their opponents on Friday evening have beaten them just five times, drawing the same number of matches.

The second quarter-final of the 2026 World Cup is sure to be a fascinating one with the unparalleled consistency of Spain going head to head with the unwavering belief of the Belgians hunting just a third semi-final appearance.

The game in Los Angeles is scheduled to kick off on Friday, July 10th at 20:00 (BST), and will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

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