“Everyone expects Spain to beat us” – Belgium coach

Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia says his side is embracing the underdog tag ahead of Friday’s FIFA World Cup quarter-final against European champions Spain, insisting his team is capable of pulling off a major upset.

Spain head into the clash in Los Angeles as overwhelming favourites after reaching the last eight without conceding a goal throughout the tournament.

Belgium, however, endured a more difficult route to the quarter-finals, narrowly topping their group after draws against Egypt and Iran before staging a dramatic comeback to eliminate Senegal in the knockout stage.

‘We think we can do it’

Speaking at a pre-match press conference on Thursday, Mr Garcia said many people had already written Belgium off, but stressed that his players remained confident.

“Everyone is already talking about us going home. But we think that we can do it,” he said.

“We think we can pull it off, and we’re going to do everything we can to get to the semis.”

Belgium finding momentum

Mr Garcia noted that Belgium produced one of their best performances of the tournament in the Round of 16, thrashing co-hosts United States 4-1 to book their place in the quarter-finals.

He also highlighted his team’s attacking statistics, revealing that Belgium have scored 13 goals at the tournament, trailing only France and Argentina, while their 107 shots are second only to France, who have played one more match.

Asked whether he was worried that American supporters in Los Angeles might back Spain following Belgium’s victory over the United States, Mr Garcia dismissed the concern.

“We just beat the US, obviously, and again at a stadium where everyone was against us. So I don’t think the conditions will be any more difficult tomorrow,” he said.

“It’s not the fans that score the goals. We’re going to focus on what we can do. We’ve got enough on our plate with the Spanish squad that is a wonderful footballing team.

“And even if we’re the underdog for tomorrow, we’re going to do everything we can to give them a run for their money.”

Lukaku backs Belgium

Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku also expressed confidence ahead of the encounter, saying the team had not reached the quarter-finals simply to make up the numbers.

“If you manage to get this far, then you’re not going to play a game just to go home,” Mr Lukaku said.

“I think we also have the necessary talent. Tomorrow we need to play the perfect game.”