Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has asserted that only one team is capable of preventing tournament favourites France from claiming the World Cup trophy. France, who secured the title in 2018 and finished as runners-up four years ago, have dominated the current tournament under Didier Deschamps. They topped Group I with a perfect record, scoring ten goals in victories over Senegal, Iraq, and Norway. After dispatching Sweden in the round-of-32 and beating Paraguay, France now faces Morocco in the quarter-finals.
Wenger's Confidence in France
Wenger, an Arsenal legend, expressed strong confidence in France's chances. 'France will win the World Cup,' he told Sky Sports. 'I know you will say, “of course you say that, you’re French.” But when you analyse the World Cup, the train goes at a certain pace and you have to be capable of getting on the train. For example, the Asian teams have gone out because they could not cope with the intensity and the pace of the games. They did not have enough to technically compete.'
Spain: The Only Threat
According to Wenger, Spain is the sole team capable of denying France. 'The real question for me is Spain. If one team is capable now of beating France I would say it is Spain because their technical level is better than France. They have quality and a culture of collective football that nobody else in the world has at that level. That could be the decider between these two but of course France is stronger physically.'
Spain, the European champions, had a slow start with a goalless draw against Cape Verde but recovered to top Group H. They outclassed Austria in the knockout stage and scored a late winner to eliminate rivals Portugal. Luis de la Fuente's side faces Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday night, with a potential blockbuster showdown against France looming.
Other Quarter-Final Matchups
In the other confirmed quarter-final ties, Spain takes on Belgium, England faces Norway, and World Cup holders Argentina meets Colombia or Switzerland. Argentina survived a major scare to beat Egypt. England's reward for a heroic win over Mexico is a quarter-final clash with Norway, who knocked out Brazil. Thomas Tuchel's side will avoid France until the final if both teams advance, but could face defending champions Argentina in the semi-finals.
