France manager Didier Deschamps has predicted a "spectacular" semi-final clash when Les Bleus face Spain at the FIFA World Cup in Dallas on Tuesday, with kick-off scheduled for 20:00 BST.

The two nations have met in high-stakes recent encounters — Spain defeated France in the semi-finals of Euro 2024 before going on to lift the European Championship title, and the Spaniards also came out on top in a nine-goal Nations League thriller against the same opponents last year.

Deschamps, who is stepping down after 14 years at the helm following the tournament, was eager to put those results aside.

"The past is in the past. They did win in the past but I am looking forward to tomorrow. We are now at another level. We want to be in the final," he said.

A place in history

Victory on Tuesday would send France into the World Cup final and make them only the third nation in history to reach three consecutive World Cup finals. West Germany achieved the feat across 1982, 1986, and 1990, while Brazil did so in 1994, 1998, and 2002.

Deschamps captained France to the 1998 World Cup title and later guided them to glory in 2018 as manager. Their most recent final appearance, in Qatar in 2022, ended in a penalty defeat to Argentina.

The outgoing France boss acknowledged Spain's defensive solidity, noting they had conceded just one goal across six matches at this tournament, and declared them semi-final favourites.

"We know this could be a most spectacular game. Luis [de la Fuente] and myself, we know how to defend and with the quality of two teams offensively, we can think it's going to be a spectacular game," Deschamps added.

De la Fuente dismisses favourites tag

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente pushed back on Deschamps' assessment, insisting the label carries little weight.

"It doesn't mean anything. We are two great national teams facing one another. Whether we are favourites or not doesn't mean further pressure for us. We have that pressure anyway because we want to do well for our country," said De la Fuente.

Mbappe's golden boot race

France arrive in Dallas having scored 16 goals in six matches, with Kylian Mbappe responsible for eight of them and contributing three further assists. A goal against Spain would move Mbappe level — and ahead — of Argentina's Lionel Messi in the race for the Golden Boot, with both players currently tied on eight goals.

De la Fuente acknowledged France's attacking threats — naming Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, and Michael Olise as players his side must contain — while stressing Spain would stick to their own identity.

"Tomorrow will be an extremely demanding match," he said.

'You can't win without suffering'

The Spain manager drew on a quotation attributed to Roman general Julius Caesar to underline his philosophy heading into the semi-final.

"Julius Caesar always said that you can't win without suffering. I agree with that. If you want to achieve big things in your life you need to prepare to suffer," said the 65-year-old.

De la Fuente also spoke about the privilege of coaching at this level, urging his players to savour the moment while channelling their full potential on the pitch.