Preview: Belgium hunt huge shock over impeccable Spain to reach World Cup last four | OneFootball

Abdullai Lawal, World Cup correspondent

Belgium face European champions Spain in the World Cup quarter-finals to battle for a meeting with France in what would be just a third appearance in the last four.

Spain, who beat England in the final of Euro 2024, have had an excellent tournament, remaining undefeated enroute to the tie and are also yet to concede a single goal.

Their defence have been ever-present, with Pau Cubarsí and Aymeric Laporte flawless in the back-line, putting out fires and preventing shots from a large majority of opponents.

Topping Group H comfortably outside of a shock draw against Cape Verde, the Round of 32 saw them dispatch Austria with Mikel Oyarzabal spotlighting with a brace.

Last time out, the European champions advanced against an underachieving Portugal side through late heroics from Premier League champion Mikel Merino, an inspired substitute from Luis de la Fuente in the 85th minute as the midfielder slotted home six minutes later in stoppage time.

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

As for Belgium, their tournament has been rocky to say the least. They started off with two draws against Egypt and Iran, however, a 5-1 thrashing against New Zealand was enough to top Group G on goal difference.

Ranked ninth in FIFA’s world rankings, Rudi Garcia’s Belgium were nearly eliminated by Senegal after being down by two goals in the round of 32 and on-field argument between captain Youri Tielemans and Leoandro Trossard.

They took the game to extra-time finding goals from Lukaku and Tielemans, and then completing the most unexpected comeback in the last minute of the game as Tielemans took control of the situation from the penalty spot.

After a close call, the Red Devils matched up against the hosts of the tournament USA, convincingly beating them in a statement 4-1 win to get this to point.

The Frenchman stressed that “statistics are there to be broken” despite Spain’s near-perfect record in the tournament, with Belgium second behind the Euro winners for goals scored.

He said: ”We know we are playing one of the favourites and we know the strength they have as individuals and as a collective, which has been the case for 15 or 20 years now.

“They are the best when it comes to possession of the ball and we know that they have not conceded a goal but statistics are there to be broken and we will do what we can to score. If not, we will be sent packing.”

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente candidly said that his team’s status as favourites to reach the semi-finals will not help them on the pitch against Belgium.

“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.

“Ultimately, 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.”

Trossard has been the standout player for Belgium, showing his creative attributes by topping the charts for chances created in the tournament with 17.

Unfortunately, Amadou Onana suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury after the huge victory in Seattle, which has ended his campaign for the World Cup and beyond.

Spain have Crystal Palace’s Yeremy Pino dealing with a shoulder injury which occurred against Uruguay, while Nico Williams could be close to a return from his groin injury, as he trained ahead of the Iberian Derby but didn’t feature.

Belgium have not reached a World Cup semi-final since 2018 where they lost to the eventual winners France and have also never won the tournament.

Spain last featured in the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2010, going on to win the competition courtesy of Andres Iniesta’s strike in extra time to collect their first star resting above the national crest.

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.

For more detailed reports, reaction, and analysis of the World Cup as it happens, head to our website and favourite our page on OneFootball.