It’s France versus Spain in the semi-final of the World Cup in Dallas on Tuesday, a meeting of arguably the best two teams in the competition.
This seems to happen at every World Cup, a ‘final’ but played out at an earlier stage.
It will be pitched as the unstoppable force of France meeting the immovable object of Spain.
Didier Deschamps’ team undoubtedly possess the competition’s best attack, with Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Desire Doue forming a formidable front line that looks almost impossible for any defence to resist.
If anyone can, it’s probably Spain.
There is also a school of thought that perhaps the best way to subdue or nullify France is by, well, not letting them have the ball and for all the magic of Lionel Messi and the gripping football of Argentina, Spain are, again, probably the best team in the tournament for that.
Either way, it has all the hallmarks of a classic World Cup encounter. And the victor will be favourites to lift the trophy next weekend, regardless of who they face in the final.
📝 @TimSpiers
