´It could have been the final´, De la Fuente acknowledges as ´giant powers´ Spain and Germany collid

Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente believes his side’s blockbuster last-eight clash with Germany would be a worthy final at Euro 2024.

The two sides – described as “giant powers of European football” by La Roja’s boss – go head to head in an eagerly anticipated encounter at Stuttgart Arena on Friday.

Spain, who topped Group B with maximum points, are the only nation at the tournament to have won all four matches thus far, while Germany collected seven points in Group A before overcoming Denmark 2-0 in the last 16.

Both teams are seeking a record-breaking fourth European Championship triumph, and whoever prevails here will be widely expected to go on and lift the Henri Delaunay cup on July 14.

And De la Fuente is relishing what will be a repeat of the 2008 final, which La Roja won 1-0 thanks to Fernando Torres’ sole strike.

“It could have been the final of the European Championship, and it’ll be an even game on a footballing level,” he told reporters during his pre-match press conference.

“Germany always start games in a really powerful way, so obviously we’ll try to counteract that. We’ll try to take the initiative and go all-out from the first minute.

“These are two giant powers of European football and the first thing I’d say about my team is that one of our great strengths is that we always perform as one unified block. In that respect, us and Germany are in fact quite similar.

“I wouldn’t change my players for anyone in the world. For me, my players are the best in the world. We’re fully prepared to go out there and try to win. We feel lots of responsibility, and we’re extremely focused.”