De la Fuente backs Yamal to shine as Spain prepare for France semi-final encounter

Yamal celebrated his 19th birthday on the eve of the last-four clash in Dallas, but De la Fuente said the young Barcelona forward should focus on enjoying the occasion rather than feeling any extra pressure.

"I've told him there is no need to worry - let him enjoy himself," De la Fuente said. "I'm sure Lamine's great World Cup day is still to come. I hope it's tomorrow and, if not, then in the final, if we can get there."

Yamal arrived at the tournament after recovering from a hamstring injury suffered while scoring a penalty for Barcelona in late April. The winger has steadily improved during the competition and has scored once so far.

Spain defeated France 5-4 in last year's UEFA Nations League semi-final, but De la Fuente believes this meeting will be a completely different challenge. Although Spain raced into a 5-1 lead in that match, France nearly completed an incredible comeback in the closing stages.

"We learn a lot from those matches, as they will have done," he said. "We will try to repeat the situations that worked well for us and avoid the ones that didn't."

The Spain coach expects a tactical battle between two teams with contrasting styles and warned that France remain one of the most dangerous sides on the counter-attack.

He admitted his coaching staff have spent plenty of time analysing France's attacking stars, including Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise.

"We've analysed them very, very thoroughly," De la Fuente said. "They have players of exceptional calibre, but so do we. The key is to impose our own style and neutralise the opposition. The more balanced side is usually closer to winning, although that's no guarantee."

De la Fuente also believes France have improved since Spain beat them last year and refused to accept suggestions that his side are favourites to reach the World Cup final.

"Being told you are favourites or not means nothing," he said. "We are both great teams, just like the teams in the other semi-final. Whether we're favourites or not is completely irrelevant."

The Spain boss said his final message to the players would be simple: enjoy the occasion, stay true to their style and believe they can reach another World Cup final.

"I tell the players that we need to enjoy ourselves because we're in a situation that might never happen again," De la Fuente said. "We must be ourselves, respect the opposition's strengths and believe we can go through. We'll give everything to reach the final."

READ MORE: Lamine Yamal says France World Cup semi-final clash 'biggest game of his career'