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What not to miss before Spain take on France in clash of positivity and pragmatism

The last time France and Spain played was in the UEFA Nations League final in 2021, France won 2-1
The last time France and Spain played was in the UEFA Nations League final in 2021, France won 2-1Profimedia
To get you informed ahead of the first semi-final at EURO 2024 between Spain and France, we have gathered below the best of our preview content with quotes from coaches and key players on each side as well as some data-driven analysis for the experts amongst you.

Spain and France could not have had more contrasting tournaments. On one hand, you have Luis de la Fuente's Spain - clearly the most impressive attacking side at the tournament to date with their vibrant young stars Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams driving their direct style.

On the other hand, you have Didier Deschamps' France, who have yet to score an open-play goal off their own boot, relying on penalties and own goals alone to get this far despite possessing fearsome forwards such as Kylian Mbappe. Defensively, they have been superb, conceding just once all tournament.

In a phrase, it will be a battle between attacking positivity and defensive pragmatism in Munich.

Take a look at the other key battles ahead here.

Recent meetings between the sides
Recent meetings between the sidesFlashscore

The last time the sides met was back in the UEFA Nations League final in 2021, with France winning 2-1. That was some time ago, though. Take a trip even further down memory lane and relive some of the more legendary meetings between the European heavyweights in the link below.

Five classics between France and Spain.

There were a few interesting comments in the pre-match press conferences on Monday. France midfielder Adrien Rabiot remarked on how debilitating information links have been for his side in the build-up to matches at the Euros.

Rabiot had been concerned about leaks from the French camp
Rabiot had been concerned about leaks from the French campProfimedia, Opta by StatsPerform

Read Rabiot's full comments here.

If you're interested in some more pre-match comments, take a read of what Spain coach De La Fuente and star midfielder Rodri had to say about their approach to the match in the link below.

Spain have 'blind faith', says De La Fuente.

Maybe you are looking for more of a data-driven deep dive before the match. Well, thanks to our friends at Opta, we have you covered there, too. You can read about the match from an analytical perspective in the link below the tweet and even further down you can check out our in-house video preview as well.

Opta Data Insights analytical match preview.

Match preview
Flashscore

Follow the semi-final with us live here.