Luis de la Fuente: "I Have Complete Confidence in My Team"

Reaching the quarter-finals of a FIFA World Cup is an achievement reserved for very few national teams. Spain will contest its sixth World Cup quarter-final, and its first since South Africa 2010. On the eve of the clash with Belgium, head coach Luis de la Fuente spoke to more than 170 accredited journalists in the press room at Los Angeles Stadium.

On whether he has decided his starting XI

"Selecting a starting line-up is the most difficult part of a national team coach's job. When you have players of such a high standard, as we do, some possess qualities that are better suited to certain opponents. We analyse every rival thoroughly to identify how we can hurt them in attack and how we can defend in the most effective way."

On whether the Portugal victory was a turning point

"Confidence grows with every match you play. Winning always reinforces belief in the work you've been doing, but tomorrow will be a completely different game. Belgium are a very strong team with world-class players."

On focusing solely on the quarter-final

"We're thinking about nothing but Belgium. Until we get through the quarter-finals, we won't speak about any potential opponents. As far as we're concerned, the semi-finals don't exist yet."

On having all 26 players available

"I want to recognise everything this group has achieved so far. It's all been earned through hard work. I'm grateful to have all 26 players available. That's the most important thing—that everyone is fit and healthy."

On favourites

"There are no favourites in matches like this. You can play better than your opponent and still lose. We're focused only on what we can control, and we know it's going to be an extremely demanding game. We'll need to produce our very best performance if we want to win."

On the team's balance

"We've always been a very reliable defensive team and very efficient going forward. We're a solid, well-balanced side and one of the teams that creates the most shots on goal. I'm not concerned; the goals will come."

On Lamine Yamal

"Lamine's motivation is extraordinary. In that state of mind, he's a very dangerous player for any opponent. Against Portugal he delivered a complete performance, always working hard for the team."