Luis de la Fuente says Spain will not make the mistake of underestimating Euro 2024 surprise package Georgia in the round of 16.
Spain cruised through the so-called group of death , winning all three of their games against Croatia, Italy and Albania without conceding a single goal.
Meanwhile, Georgia progressed as one of the best third-place teams after stunning Euro 2016 champions Portugal with a 2-0 victory in their final group game.
La Roja also met Georgia in Euro 2024 qualifying, earning a memorable 7-1 victory in the away fixture.
However, De la Fuente was quick to praise the improvement in their opponents since that meeting, noting that Spain had to expect a bigger challenge this time around.
It was a very important game for us, we arrived [in Georgia] under a lot of pressure, and we came back from that game as a family, a lot stronger than before, said De la Fuente.
¡¡Listos para despegar!! |
— Selección Española Masculina de Fútbol (@SEFutbol)
The most important game is always the next one and now a different European Championship starts. We are bracing for a very difficult game, and we will go with the best weapons we have to get out with a win.
We all have seen surprising things happen in football and I don t think that will stop happening.
Georgia beat Portugal, we have to respect them as opponents, work hard and take the game with the importance that it has so it doesn t happen to us.
They are fast in the counter-attack and very good in the set-pieces. We need to be vigilant and aware, so we don t end up exposed to counter-attacks in speed.
