Luis de la Fuente: ‘The match against the Netherlands could be a European Championships final’.

At 20:00 (Spanish peninsular time) from the De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam, the national coach spoke to the press on the eve of the match against the Netherlands. Luis de la Fuente began by commenting on the youthful nature of both squads: ‘The Netherlands also have very young players, it's all about talent and ability though. We look for ability, competitiveness and resolve, the age of the squad reflects positively on us’. 

‘We have to win these two games and get through to the next round. It's going to be very difficult as we´re up against a great opponent. I still strive for the same as I did when we played in the 2023 final. At that time we began to create an image, an idea, a personality... But Luis de la Fuente is still the same as ever,’ said the national team coach from the exact location where he won the UEFA Nations League and his first title as coach of the senior side a couple of years ago. 

Regarding Lamine Yamal playing during Ramadan: ‘It's completely natural. The medical services and the nutritionist set the guidelines for him, and we call for the utmost respect for him or anyone else in his situation. I, personally, have never had a team-mate who has done Ramadan before. 

‘It's a knockout match and we know that it lasts more than just 90 minutes, there are two games, there might be extra time, penalties.... We want to play a great game tomorrow, we want to win and produce a good performance. We always want to win, it's going to be a very difficult and tough match. Tomorrow 's game could almost be a European Championships final,’ explained Luis de la Fuente. 

‘The three goalkeepers are in very good form, I'm very calm. There are many others who could also be here. All three have the right mindset and are at the top level’, commented the coach when asked about Unai Simón, Álex Remiro and David Raya. 

Regarding the absence of Ferran Torres from today's training session, De la Fuente underlined: ‘Ferran Torres has had an injury, a knock from his last game with Barça. We always look after the player's health here, he had a niggle and we thought it was better for him to stop training and recover well. He might be in perfect condition to play tomorrow, but we are not going to force him’. 

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