Koscielny: Spain tough to defend against

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

The two national teams will square off on Saturday and the French know that the Spaniards are a formidable side as they regularly outmatched their opponents during the group stages.

Vicente del Bosque's side were the only team to complete more than two thousand passes from their three matches and maintained a high level of possession in all their matches, eking out wins against Republic of Ireland and Croatia.

But despite the impressive statistics, there has also been much criticism over La Roja's striker-less formation as it potentially reduces the number of shots on goal but the Arsenal defender insists that the defending champions are fully capable of winning with their "false nine" tactic.

Koscielny pointed out that an important reason why Spain have become such a fearsome opponent is the fluidity offered by their formation as it makes it very difficult for defenders to establish control over the penalty box.

"It's easier to play against a team with a fixed centre-forward. [Playing without one] means that you have to keep your concentration and keep an eye on everything that's going on around you," he agreed.

"If you go all-out attack against Spain, you are in trouble. We will have to keep it very tight against them."

He believes that it will be an exciting challenge to play the reigning World Cup champions and is confident that Les Bleus have what it takes to come out as victors on Saturday night.

"Do we fear Spain? Yes and no. Everyone would dream of playing against Spain, whether it's in a quarter-final or a semi-final.

"It's an exciting game to play in. It's up to us to enjoy it, I don't see why we should fear them. They have their qualities but so do we.

"We're playing against the defending champions and I think this has all the ingredients to be a fantastic match."

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The France international will partner Adil Rami in the centre of defence as Philippe Mexes earned a one-match suspension in his side's 2-0 loss to Sweden on Tuesday. He is optimistic that his first game as a starter in the tournament will end on a positive note and stated that he was fully fit and in the right frame of mind for the match.

"Rami and I have played one match and a half together and it went quite well. We know each other's qualities. He knows I'll be there at any time to cover if there's a problem.

"I feel in good shape physically. I try and give my all in training. I played the whole game against Serbia but haven't played since, but I still feel fine."

France ended Group D in second place with their only win coming against Ukraine on June 15.