Arguably the two best sides remaining in the 2026 World Cup lock horns this week as France take on Spain in the semi-final.
The French enter this game as favourites having won every game in the competition so far. Didier Deschamps' side have been frightening at times, scoring 16 goals and conceding just two in six games.
In Kylian Mbappe, they have the tournament's top goalscorer with eight goals. Mbappe now has 20 goals in 20 games in the World Cup in his career and on his current trajectory, he may well finish his career with the masses regarding him as the greatest player in the history of the World Cup.
All of this, then, points towards a fearsome France side that can score goals for fun - and from multiple sources. If not Mbappe, then Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele or Desire Doue can pop up and score from anywhere, making the French team a nightmare to deal with.
That's reflected in their form, where they've won seven games on the spin and nine of their last ten. Eight of their last ten games have seen over 2.5 goals scored too, pointing to a team that rarely fails to entertain - while six of their last ten have seen BTTS occur.
France are most peoples' favourites to win this competition and while Spain will undoubtedly prove to be a stuff test, France's superior firepower is hard to back against.
The Spanish find themselves in just a second World Cup semi-final in the nations' history, with their first coming when they won the competition in 2010.
Luis De La Fuente's side started the tournament slowly with some mediocre showings in the group stage but have improved as the competition has progressed, claiming good wins against Portugal (1-0) and Belgium (2-1) in the knockout rounds.
They do, though, still look one sandwich short of a picnic as a unit and don't quite look as strong as when they won the Euros two years back.
Lamine Yamal came into the tournament injured and is still searching for his best form, while Nico Williams - who was instrumental to their Euro 2024 triumph - has struggled for fitness throughout the tournament.
Spain have won seven of their last ten games compared to France's nine, while 50% of those ten have seen over 2.5 goals scored.
Spain have failed to score in only two of their last ten games and rarely draw a blank in front of goal, so their threat to the French defensive is very real.
We expect a tightly contested encounter, as is the standard in a World Cup semi-final, but Les Blues have all the ingredients to get the job done.
France 2-1 Spain
