Luis de la Fuente, coach of the Spanish national team, said on Saturday, on the eve of the expected confrontation against England, that “La Roja,” the World Cup and European Cup champion, has left his mark in his current era, but he does not intend to stop there.
“We have already left our mark on our era,” De La Fuente said in a press conference. We will see in the future whether another team will surpass us, but so far we hold the record for the largest number of consecutive matches without defeat in the history of football (44 matches).”
He added: “However, we do not want to stop here, but rather seek to continue developing and breaking more records.”
The 65-year-old coach continued: “This team has great ambition, and winning has become an obsession for us. We treat every match like it's our last. We also achieved 12 consecutive victories, and tomorrow we strive to achieve the thirteenth victory,” noting that a draw is enough for Spain to ensure that the competitions finish in first place.
In response to a question about the return of the young talent in Barcelona, Lamine Jamal, who was rested in the last match in the Czech Republic due to pain in his right knee, de la Fuente confirmed that the player has fully recovered, but he refused to reveal whether he would start the match or not.
The Spanish coach explained: “We will see if he starts, but if he participates, this means that he is in a condition that allows him to start. I don't know if he will be able to play the full 90 minutes, but he is in excellent condition. "He recovered well, avoided the hassle of two long trips and exposure to the cold... and also got enough rest."
Regarding the confrontation with England, de la Fuente considered that this match represents “perhaps the best match that can be watched currently” at the level of national teams.
In response to the statements of German Thomas Tuchel, coach of the Three Lions national team, regarding fears of racist incidents occurring at the Metropolitano Stadium, the spokesman confirmed that, in his opinion, there is “no racism in Spain.”
The English media, in particular, point to the insults suffered by two English players, Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips, during a match held in Madrid in 2004.
In recent years, Spanish stadiums have also witnessed many other incidents, most of which targeted the Brazilian striker Vinicius Junior, the Real Madrid striker. Despite the efforts made by the authorities and institutions, only a small number of these incidents led to the issuance of judicial rulings of conviction.
French national team coach Zinedine Zidane confirmed on Saturday that striker Kylian Mbappe, who was absent from the 3-1 loss to Italy two days ago, is ready to participate in the decisive match against Turkey in Bordeaux on Sunday, which will determine the qualifier for the quarter-finals of the European Nations League.
Zidane said: “He will be with us tomorrow.”
The Spanish Real Madrid striker and national team captain suffered a muscle injury on Wednesday, on the eve of traveling to Italy. This forced him to miss that confrontation, before returning to participate in training on Friday.
Mbappe (27 years old) also missed the last four matches for the French national team, as he had previously missed, due to a left knee injury, from the match that followed the first match of the Zidane era against Turkey, when he scored the only goal of the match (1-0) on September 25.
Zidane (54 years old) added that the presence of Mbappe, the all-time top scorer for the French national team with 67 goals in 107 matches, “changes everything” and “I prefer his presence with us to his absence.”
In response to a question about the nature of his relationship with the Real Madrid striker, Zidane confirmed that things are going “perfectly,” denying what was reported in some media about the existence of differences between them.
He continued: “I can’t stop people from saying what they say, but this is just nonsense, and it is very annoying.”
The French team occupies second place in Group A, equal on points with Italy, and needs to achieve a draw against Türkiye in the final sixth round to ensure its qualification to the quarter-finals of the European Nations League.
