Berlin (dpa)
France midfielder Adrien Rabiot praised the Spanish team before the “Roosters” face “La Matador” on Tuesday in the semi-finals of the European Nations Cup (Euro 2024) in Germany, but he confirmed at the same time that the competitor “probably has weaknesses as well.”
“They have had their best performance of the tournament, they have two great wingers who can penetrate the final third, they also know how to score goals, it is a very complete team and has its own strengths, but probably also has weaknesses, we feel confident and we know what we have to do,” Rabiot said in a press conference.
France coach Didier Deschamps agreed with Rabiot’s comments, saying: “They are the team with the best performance in the Euros so far. They have left the best impression after every match.”
France, who have won the continental title twice before, have not performed as expected so far in Euro 2024, and have not yet managed to score from open play during 480 minutes of play, with the three goals scored by “Les Bleus” so far coming from two own goals and a penalty kick by Kylian Mbappe.
“The fact that we are in the last four speaks for itself. We have done what we needed to do to get here. We want to lift the Euro 2024 trophy, after we were on the verge of winning the Qatar 2022 World Cup,” Deschamps said before losing to Argentina on penalties in the final.
Deschamps confirmed that captain Kylian Mbappe is ready to participate against Spain, after being substituted before the end of extra time in the match against Portugal in the quarter-finals.
“We knew that extra time against Portugal was a bit difficult for him, in terms of muscle strength, but he will definitely be on the pitch. We wanted to rest him as much as possible,” the France coach said.
Deschamps concluded by saying, “We did everything we could, and I am convinced that Kylian is in a good position. He will do everything he can to give 110% of his energy, like the rest of the team.”
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