Kick-off time: 20:00 (BST) 9th July \/ Allianz Arena \/ H2H: 36 \u2013 16W, 7D, 13L<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A three-time Euros winner previously and having overcome difficult games in both previous rounds, Spain will be looking to do what they can to progress through to the Finals next week, despite several notable absences that will have to be factored in. Having made it through the Group stages with the maximum 9 points after wins against Croatia, Italy and Albania, subsequent wins against Georgia in the Round of 16 and then an Extra Time win over Germany in the Quarter Finals, have left Spain as favourites to lift the cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Manager Luis de la Fuente will have some planning to do for the Semis, with Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand both unavailable due to suspensions, while Barca\u2019s Pedri has been ruled out with an injury. That being said, 16-year old Lamine Yamal and vice-captain \u00c1lvaro Morata are more than capable of keeping their side in the game and with midfielders Olmo and Ruiz both on a brace each, there\u2019s every chance they can just outscore their opponents, a side that haven\u2019t scored a single goal in open play yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Having won the Euros twice before, albeit their last time some 24 years ago, France have struggled to get past the Quarter Finals \u2013 only making it as far in 2016. Getting through their Group stages was unexpectedly difficult, finishing in second place, and needing an own goal and a Mbapp\u00e9 penalty to even do that, but their Round of 16 against Belgium fared no better, with another own goal needed to take them through once again. In fact, their Quarter Final fixture against Portugal was goalless until penalties, yet they proved 5 consecutive times that their shooting abilities were clearly still there as they converted all 5 of them. With no goal in open play the entire tournament, will this game be a hurdle too far?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Campaigning under manager Didier Deschamps, a man who has run the team for over a decade and was a star in his own right when he captained the French to back to back World Cup and Euro victories in 1998 + 2000, has a challenge on his hand to work out why his team has been underperforming. Despite having some major firepower in his team, including the likes of captain Kylian Mbapp\u00e9, Olivier Giroud and Antoine Griezmann, they mean nothing when they are not converting, and it will be up to Deschamps to make some bold choices against a team that have had no trouble finding the net in this tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having faced each other 36 times in the past, the stats show a rather neutral position, with just 7 draws and 16 wins for Spain against 13 wins for France. In fact, despite Spain seeming to have the upper hand here, from the three games they have played against each other in the last decade, France have won two of them against Spain\u2019s single victory. While both sides certainly have the capability of adding another win to their belts, this Tuesday night at the Allianz Arena will either become a demonstration of two of the best sides in Europe, or another goalless draw fest that will drag into Extra Time \u2013 let\u2019s hope for the former.<\/p>\n\n\n\n