Spain's national football team is preparing to face the dangerous attacking quartet of their French counterpart in their World Cup semifinal match on Tuesday, with a different philosophy based on possession and control of the match tempo, directing danger sources towards the opponent's goal. Spanish winger Alex Baena said in press statements on Monday that they certainly respect one of the tournament's strongest attacking teams, led by Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise, Ousmane Dembele, and either Desire Doue or Bradley Barcola. However, the Spanish player stressed that they will not just wait for the storm in Tuesday's match: "The front four are having a great tournament and we will have to watch them. But we will try to make them do that more with us." He added: "Our strengths lie in possession of the ball, keeping it a lot in order to attack and ensure they attack us as little as possible. We hope it goes that way tomorrow as well." These words accurately reflect Spain's style when they emerged victorious in two previous semifinal meetings in the European Championship and the UEFA Nations League against the French team led by their current coach Didier Deschamps. Baena continued: "Possession will again be our first line of defense and our clearest way to control." But he warned that history will not substitute for their interventions and ball recoveries on the pitch. He said: "It is true that we come from two matches in which we defeated them, and that worked in our favor, but each match has its own circumstances. They are having an amazing tournament." The other side of Spain's tactical confidence is the travel schedule that made them cover much longer distances than France before the semifinal. Spain chose to stay in Chattanooga, Tennessee during the group stage, a city that did not host any World Cup matches, and had to travel across three different time zones to play their matches, while France maintained its base in Boston throughout and will play its first match outside the Eastern time zone, having traveled about 16,000 kilometers less than their opponent. However, full-back Pedro Porro downplayed concerns about fatigue: "From the outside it may seem that way, but in our daily lives we travel constantly and do not feel the kilometers we cover. We have been able to recover for this match." But Baena was more candid about travel fatigue and explained: "It is true that we feel a little tired due to the amount of travel. We have traveled longer distances and covered more kilometers than them, and in the end, when you approach the final rounds, you feel it a bit." He added: "But I think we are all fine, and we feel great excitement and desire. It is respect for one of the best teams in the tournament and in the world. We hope it will be a very balanced match and that the small details will decide it."