Del Bosque wary of Benzema threat

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque has warned his team of the threat posed by France forward Karim Benzema in their Euro 2012 quarter-final.

Del Bosque also highlighted the abilities of Newcastle midfielder Yohan Cabaye, who he believes to be a key player for Les Bleus.

“Benzema is dangerous as he had a great season the Real Madrid. He is very reliable in front of goal, but he is also very involved in the game as he wins back possession a lot,” Del Bosque said.

“Then there is Cabaye, who is, in my opinion, an important man in the French system. He starts his team’s attacks, but he is also clever in front of goal, as we saw in the game against Ukraine.”

The former Real Madrid coach went on to say that his side is determined to rectify their poor record in official matches against France in the quarter-final clash on Saturday.

“The facts speak for themselves, we are world and European champions and this motivates us, but it also motivates our adversaries,” he said.

“The fact that France have always been superior to us in official matches is an added motivation for us. We will see if we will be able to defy the past.”

Spain go into the game having never won an official game against Les Bleus.