Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said that 'everyone' expects his team to be eliminated by Spain in the World Cup quarter-finals on Friday, but he insisted his players are capable of a notable victory.

Spain, the European champions, enter the match in Los Angeles as strong favorites, having kept a clean sheet in all tournament matches so far.

Related news

In contrast, Belgium faced a tougher path, narrowly topping their group after draws with Egypt and Iran, before needing a late comeback to overcome Senegal in the Round of 32. But Garcia seemed to relish the underdog role during Thursday's press conference. The French coach said, 'Everyone is already talking about us going home. But we believe we can get the job done.' He added, 'We think we can turn the tables, and we will do everything we can to reach the semi-finals.' Belgium began to show their strength in the Round of 16 on Monday, thrashing the United States 4-1 to end the host nation's hopes. Garcia noted that Belgium are among the highest-scoring teams in the tournament, with 13 goals, behind only France and Argentina. Belgium also have 107 shots, the second-highest total after France, who have played an extra match. Regarding the possibility of facing a hostile atmosphere from American fans in Los Angeles after eliminating their country's team, Garcia said it is not a concern for him. He commented, 'We just beat the United States, and that was also in a stadium where everyone was against us. So I don't think conditions will be more difficult tomorrow.' He added, 'Fans don't score goals. We will focus on what we can do. We have enough challenges with the Spanish team; they are a great football team.' He continued, 'Even if we are the underdogs tomorrow, we will do everything we can to make the match difficult for them.' For his part, veteran Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku backed his coach's statements, telling reporters, 'If you reach this stage, you don't play a match just to go home.' Lukaku added, 'I think we also have the necessary talent. Tomorrow we need to deliver the perfect match.'