Belgium Coach Ahead of Spain Match: Statistics Are Made to Be Broken

Following a victory over the USA in the previous round and a dramatic comeback against Senegal, Belgium is set to face Spain on Friday evening in a quarter-final clash at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Few are giving the "Red Devils" a chance against one of the tournament favorites, a team that has yet to concede a goal. However, this pessimism doesn't sit well with Rudi Garcia, the Belgian coach.

"Everyone already sees us as eliminated": Belgium's coach Rudi Garcia expressed his frustration with the pessimism surrounding his team on the eve of their quarter-final showdown with Spain at the 2026 World Cup in Los Angeles.

"We know we're playing against one of the tournament favorites; we know all their players individually. The strength of this team has been their collective unit for the past twenty years. What's new is that they are more stable than before, having not conceded a goal. But statistics are made to be broken," the French specialist stated at a press conference.

"We will do everything we can to score. We want to make our presence felt, not just defend, otherwise, we'll be eliminated. We are capable of scoring goals; we have the second-best attack in the World Cup (third with 13 goals, editor's note). Everyone is already writing us off, but we have qualities to show."

"We want to show that we deserve to be in the quarter-finals and can go further."

Rudi Garcia explained that all his players are available, with the exception of Amadou Onana, who suffered a severe knee injury in the Round of 16 match against the USA (4-1). The case of defender Zeno Debast is also peculiar; according to the national team's medical staff, he is fit to play, but his club, Sporting Portugal, reportedly refuses to allow him to participate, according to Belgian press.

The former coach of Lyon, Lille, Dijon, and Marseille praised the "quality" of his bench players, who are capable of turning a match around, as seen in the Round of 16 against Senegal (3-2). Since the start of the tournament, Garcia has used 18 different starters, making his squad unpredictable. "We want to show that we deserve to be in the quarter-finals and can go further," he added, noting that a potential success would send the "Red Devils" to a semi-final against France, mirroring their 2018 encounter (a 0-1 loss).