Spain vs France: Previewing a Critical Euro 2012 Quarterfinal Matchup

Spain and France have long been rivals. Sharing a border of 623 kilometers, both nations have shared a common history that has included multiple wars and disputes.

Tonight, these neighbors will meet in Donetsk to determine which nation will advance into the semifinals, where the winner will face Portugal.

After securing championships in Euro 2008 and in the 2010 World Cup, this Spanish side has not displayed the same consistency as their prior squads.

The first match for Spain came against Italy. Spain found themselves down for the first time in a competitive fixture in over a year. But a goal from Cesc Fabregas secured a draw with a defensively strong Italian side.

In their second fixture, Spain displayed the form that made them into the most feared side in the world with a dominating 4-0 win over Ireland on a rainy night in Gdańsk. In his first start of the tournament, Fernando Torres recorded a brace, while goals from Fabregas and David Silva completed the scoring over a hapless Irish squad.

Spain were nowhere near as convincing against Croatia in the group finale, but La Roja secured a 1-0 win to win the group. The win would not have been possible without a fantastic effort from captain Iker Casillas, for Croatia were able to stand up to the Spanish attack for most of the match. Only a late goal from Jesus Navas secured the group to Spain.

Just like Spain, France were expected to finish first in their group, but they were unable to live up to expectations.

This started with France's first fixture against England. Though they completely dominated the match offensively, the French were held to a 1-1 draw.

France played much better in their second match against Ukraine. Despite having a delay due to a massive downpour, France played strong attacking football (out-shooting the host nation sixteen to nine) and deserved a win.

After two tricky fixtures to start the group, France faced an already-eliminated Swedish squad in their group finale. But Les Blues were abysmal against the Swedes, losing 2-0. The French lacked passion throughout the match, and Sweden left the tournament with a deserved win.

That loss caused France to finish second in a group that they were expected to win, causing this quarterfinal matchup with the side that is considered to be the best in the world.

France has not been helped with revelations that there has been a rift in their squad. After not losing at all during their prior 23 matches, a row developed between players on the French squad in the locker room. This issue caused enough problems that manager Laurent Blanc admitted, "It did delay us in terms of when we could start preparing for the game with Spain."

Whatever rift that may exist inside of this French squad has to be put away by tonight. Considering the collapse that took place in South Africa with this squad two years ago, the last thing that is needed is controversy.

This match will not see many changes made to France's starting XI. Philippe Mexes will be suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards, which will cause Laurent Koscielny to get his first start of Euro 2012.

The remainder of France's squad will retain a 4-3-3 shape and will look like this:

Lloris

Debuchy Koscielny Rami Clichy

M'Vila Diarra Cabaye

Nasri Benzema Ribery

The Spanish camp has a different demeanor. After going through their own training camp dispute between Sergio Ramos and Gerard Pique, the Spanish unification process appears to have been resolved.

There isn't much news to report from the Spanish camp. The most intriguing feature to watch is whether a striker will be used. I believe that we will see Fernando Torres make his second start of Euro 2012 as the lone striker in a 4-5-1 formation. Here are the rest of the players that you could expect to start.

Casillas

Arbeloa Ramos Pique Alba

Fabregas Xavi Busquets Silva Iniesta

Torres

This match will see some fantastic matchups. One matchup that will get more attention than any other will be how Karim Benzema plays against Real Madrid teammate Sergio Ramos. Benzema has been relatively disappointing so far, but considering Benzema's knowledge of Ramos, he could put in a strong performance.

The Spanish midfield will cause problems for France's defense. The lowest amount of passes that Spain have completed in any match is 623, which is just 37 less completions than Italy, Ireland and Croatia have COMBINED through three matches.

Against the Irish, Spain attempted more passes in the attacking third than the Irish attempted during the entire match.

The Tiki-taka style that Spain has employed has made Spain nearly impossible to prepare for. It doesn't matter who is playing in the midfield for the Spanish, for this philosophy cannot be stopped. For France, they can only hope to contain this style, not stop it.  

France do have the talent to defeat Spain and they do have history on their side heading into this quarterfinal.

Even though Spain have a winning record against France in all fixtures, they have not had success against Les Blues in international tournaments, losing five out of six and drawing the other. France has won two of their three meetings in the European championships, and also won their only World Cup encounter by a 3-1 score in 2006.

That is the last time that Spain has conceded more than one goal during a fixture in a major international tournament. Spain have been remarkable in their last 13 matches at the World Cup and Euros, in which they have conceded only three goals, while registering ten clean sheets.

Ultimately, the Spanish defense will be the deciding point for this fixture. Spain's defense may be without Carles Puyol, but they are still impressive, which is shown by that before-mentioned stat.

Iker Casillas is also a fantastic keeper who has not conceded a goal to the French since that 2006 World Cup fixture.

I doubt that Casillas' run will continue, but Spain should get the win here due to their fantastic midfield.

Spain 2 France 1

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