Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente insists that his side will not be underestimating Georgia in the last-16 stage of Euro 2024.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has insisted that his side will not be underestimating Georgia in Sunday night’s Euro 2024 last-16 contest.
La Roja were impressive in the group stage of the European Championship, winning all three of their fixtures to finish at the top of Group B.
Spain opened their tournament with a 3-0 success over Croatia on June 15 before recording back-to-back 1-0 victories over Italy and Albania to breeze into the knockout round.
La Roja’s opponents were confirmed on Wednesday evening, with Georgia beating Portugal 2-0 to advance to the knockout stage in their first-ever appearance in the finals of a major tournament.
Spain will be the huge favourites to progress from Sunday’s fixture, but De la Fuente has insisted that his side cannot afford to take Willy Sagnol‘s side lightly at the competition.
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De la Fuente wary off Georgia threat in round of 16
“We have maximum respect for them. They are a team that is having a great tournament, that has defeated Portugal; and that, due to the experience we have, we have seen that they have been improving and progressing in their performance,” De la Fuente told Spain’s official media channel.
“We will have to give our best version to have a chance of going through. We have seen that they have changed the system somewhat, but not the idea they have, with players who come out very quickly in transitions.
“We will have to be very careful. The experience of having played matches and the security of having qualified, with the motivation that comes from beating Portugal, make them more dangerous. They, thanks to that trajectory, will have security. We, too, with ours.
“We have to reaffirm our path, our idea, and continue to grow. In our heads, our hearts and our legs are continuing to improve. Our players understand that. If we want to go far, the improvement must be constant.”
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What is Spain’s possible route to the final?
Should Spain navigate their way past Georgia to reach the quarter-finals of the competition, La Roja will take on either Germany or Denmark for a spot in the final four.
A victory over one of those sides would then set up a semi-final with either Portugal, Slovenia, France or Belgium, ahead of a potential final against one of eight possible sides, including England.
Spain have hardly been rewarded for winning their group, with La Roja very much on the difficult side of the draw, with France, Germany and Portugal also viewed as serious challengers.
De la Fuente’s side are yet to concede a goal this summer, though, and they will enter their last-16 clash with Georgia off the back of five straight wins in all competitions, conceding just once in the process.
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