Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes only one team can stop tournament favourites France from winning the World Cup. Speaking to Sky Sports, Wenger said Spain are the only side capable of denying France a third World Cup title.
France's dominant run
France, who won the World Cup in 2018 and finished as runners-up four years ago, have emerged as clear favourites. Didier Deschamps' side topped Group I with a perfect record, scoring ten goals in wins over Senegal, Iraq and Norway. They defeated Sweden in the round of 32 and beat Paraguay to reach the quarter-finals, where they will face Morocco.
In the other quarter-final ties, Spain take on Belgium, England face Norway, and defending champions Argentina meet Colombia or Switzerland after surviving a scare against Egypt.
Wenger's assessment
Wenger is confident France will win the World Cup but identified Spain as the main threat. 'France will win the World Cup,' Wenger told Sky Sports. 'I know you will say, "of course you say that, you're French." But when you analyse the World Cup, the train goes at a certain pace and you have to be capable of getting on the train.'
He added: 'For example, the Asian teams have gone out because they could not cope with the intensity and the pace of the games. They did not have enough to technically compete. The real question for me is Spain. If one team is capable now of beating France I would say it is Spain because their technical level is better than France. They have quality and a culture of collective football that nobody else in the world has at that level. That could be the decider between these two but of course France is stronger physically.'
Spain's path
Spain were held to a goalless draw by Cape Verde in their opener but recovered to top Group H. The European champions outclassed Austria in the first knockout round and scored a late winner to eliminate rivals Portugal. Luis de la Fuente's side face Belgium in the quarter-finals on Friday, with a potential showdown against France in the semi-finals.
England's quarter-final
England's reward for a heroic win over Mexico is a quarter-final tie with Norway, who knocked out Brazil. Thomas Tuchel's side would avoid France until the final if both teams progress, but could face defending champions Argentina in the semi-finals.
