Quarter-finals
Match 3: 
Spain vs France
Spain
The Spain national football team (Spanish: Selección de fútbol de España) represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque. The Spanish side is commonly referred to as La Roja (The Red) or La Furia Roja (The Red Fury).
Spain are the current reigning World and European champions, having won the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship. Spain also won the 1964 European Nations' Cup and reached the UEFA Euro 1984 Final. In July 2008 Spain rose to the top of the FIFA World Rankings for the first time in the team's history, becoming the sixth nation to top this ranking, and the first nation to top the ranking without previously having won the FIFA World Cup. Between November 2006 and June 2009 Spain went undefeated for a record-tying 35 consecutive matches before their loss to the United States, a record shared with Brazil, including a record 15-game winning streak and thus earning third place in the FIFA Confederations Cup.
Recently, the team has become known for using a style of play which involves roaming movement and positional interchange amongst midfielders, moving the ball in intricate patterns, and sharp, one- or two-touch passing; this style of play has been dubbed Tiki-taka (or Tiqui-taca). The success of Spain in recent times and their style of play, has helped the Spanish team become a dominant force in world football.
France
The France national football team (French: Équipe de France) represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation (French: Fédération Française de Football), the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe. The national team's traditional colours are blue, white and red, the colors of the national flag of France, known as the drapeau tricolore, and the coq gaulois is the symbol of the team. France is colloquially known as Les Bleus (The Blues), which is the name associated with all of the country's sporting national teams, due to the blue shirts each team incorporates.
France played its first official match in 1904, and today primarily plays its home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris. The national team has won one FIFA World Cup title, two UEFA European Football Championships, an Olympic tournament, and two FIFA Confederations Cups. Following France's 2001 Confederations Cup victory, they became, along with Argentina, the only national teams to win the three most important men's titles organized by FIFA. France has a strong rivalry with neighbours Italy, and has historically also had important rivalries with Belgium, Brazil, England, and Germany.
The national team has experienced much of its success during three major "golden generations": in the 1950s, 1980s, and 1990s, which resulted in numerous major honours. France was one of the four European teams that participated in the inaugural World Cup in 1930 and, although having been eliminated in the qualification stage six times, is one of only three teams that have entered every World Cup cycle. In 1958, the team, led by Raymond Kopa and Just Fontaine, finished in third place at the FIFA World Cup. In 1984, France, led by Ballon d'Or winner Michel Platini, won UEFA Euro 1984. Under the leadership of Didier Deschamps and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, France became one of eight national teams to win the FIFA World Cup in 1998 when it hosted the tournament. Two years later, the team triumphed again in UEFA Euro 2000 and became the top team in the FIFA World Rankings for the first time. France has since added a pair of Confederations Cup titles, in 2001 and 2003, as well as an appearance in the final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, which it lost 5–3 on penalties to Italy.
Following the team's disastrous 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign, a major reconstruction within the federation resulted in the resignation of president Jean-Pierre Escalettes and the appointment of former international Laurent Blanc as manager. After dropping to 27th in the FIFA World Rankings in September 2010, its lowest ranking ever, France is currently ranked 14th.
Statistics
• Laurent Blanc labelled Spain "the best side in the world" during his Friday press conference, admitting his side will have no choice but to adapt their game if they are to stand a chance.
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Spain have never beaten France in a competitive fixture. Their most painful defeats by Les Bleus came in the UEFA European Championship final of 1984 and the quarter-finals in 2000, when Laurent Blanc was in the France team.
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France were the last side to eliminate Spain from a major international tournament – the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Spain have lost only one of 38 competitive fixtures since then – against Switzerland at the 2010 World Cup – and won 36 of them.
• France lost their own 23-match unbeaten run when they suffered a 2-0 reverse against Sweden on matchday three, meaning they finished second in Group D with four points. Spain topped Group C with seven.
• Philippe Mexès serves a one-match suspension; Jérémy Ménez and Mathieu Debuchy are a booking away from a ban, as are Spain's Álvaro Arbeloa, Jordi Alba, Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and Javi Martínez.
