Spain boss Luis de la Fuente expects World Cup final to be ‘fantastic spectacle’

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has spoken of his admiration for Argentina and believes the World Cup final will be a “fantastic spectacle”.

Argentina have been portrayed in some quarters as a dirty team following their semi-final victory over England but De la Fuente was full of praise for opposite number Lionel Scaloni and his men ahead of Sunday’s clash.

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Speaking at a press conference reported by Marca, De la Fuente said: “It will be a fantastic spectacle. They are two super teams, with many similarities. Each of us will try to dictate the game to our advantage, but both teams will play a match where talent prevails.

“I have great admiration for the national team (of Argentina). They’ve just made history and are managed by a friend of mine. Everyone will use their footballing tactics, but this is a football match.”

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Spain captain Rodri insisted his side will not be sucked into any provocation from their opponents.

“It’s just another part of football,” said the Manchester City midfielder. “We’ll see how the game unfolds.

“I like to think they’re a team that gives their all and wants to be decisive but, if that happens, we won’t take the bait and we’ll ignore it.”

De la Fuente shrugged off any concerns over the fitness of star man Lamine Yamal, while he spoke about the challenge of trying to stop Lionel Messi, saying: “We won’t man-mark him, but we’ll be vigilant.”

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On the extended half-time break, meanwhile, in order to accommodate a show featuring Madonna, Shakira and Justin Bieber, the Spain boss added: “Before starting this journey, I told the players about the peculiarities of the World Cup, and this is what we have.

“We haven’t had a single complaint. All this that seems strange to us today may well be commonplace in a few years. That’s just how it is.”

Spain are looking to add a second World Cup title to the one they won in 2010 as they seek to become European and global champions.

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Rodri added: “The objective was to be where we are. We wanted to win the World Cup and we know we can.

“We’ve shown we can beat great rivals and now we face our toughest opponent yet. It will be the perfect test to see if we’re capable of lifting the World Cup. We need to be more eager to win than afraid to lose.”

Asked whether there are nerves, De la Fuente added: “I’m nervous because we’re returning to the hotel by helicopter, and that makes me nervous. Nothing else.”

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