Published On 9/7/2026
Thibaut Courtois, the Belgium national team goalkeeper, confirmed that his country’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the 2026 World Cup depend largely on finding a way to reduce the danger of the young Spanish star, Lamine Djamel, pointing out at the same time that Spain remains the most prominent candidate to win the confrontation.
Courtois said in statements to the media after the last training session for the Belgium national team, according to what was reported by the Spanish newspaper “AS”, that the priority for Belgium will be to deprive Gamal of space and force him to play under pressure, explaining: “Lamine is a big star, he has exceptional talent, and he is very fast, and it is very difficult to stop him. The best way to defend against him is to stay close to him and try to create outnumbered situations (two against one) whenever possible, but the coach has not yet told us how we will play.”
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The Real Madrid goalkeeper went on to warn against focusing on just one player, and added: “We cannot think about Lamine only, because Spain has many strengths. If you focus on stopping one player, it will hurt you elsewhere.”
Spain is a candidate for the title
Courtois praised the level of the Spanish national team, led by coach Luis de la Fuente, stressing that it is one of the strongest teams in the tournament.
He said: “Spain is a favorite to win, this is clear. When you are a European champion, it is natural to be one of the most prominent favourites. Before the start of the tournament, I thought that Spain, along with Argentina and France, were among the strongest teams, and it is already proving that.”
He also praised the defensive solidity of the Spanish team, saying: “They play great football, control the tempo of the matches calmly, and have not conceded any goals so far. This reflects the great confidence that the entire team has, as well as goalkeeper Unai Simon.”
Belgian betting
Courtois believes that Belgium’s best opportunity will be to exploit the spaces left by the Spanish team behind its advanced defensive line.
He explained: “Spain defends with a very advanced line and tries to recover the ball quickly, so we have to exploit the spaces behind this line, because our playing style is different.”
Courtois concluded his speech by emphasizing that the confrontation has a special character for him, given his long career in Spanish football, as he represents Real Madrid and previously represented Atletico Madrid.
Courtois talks about the match between Egypt and Argentina
He continued: “Spain plays good football and controls the tempo of the matches as it should. Our task is to try to score a goal and then maintain our lead. We know that if we want to win, we have to stay focused for a hundred minutes or more.”
He added: “In the end, I think that many people did not do us justice. We all saw what the Egyptian national team was able to do against Argentina, which I consider to be one of the most prominent candidates to win the title alongside Spain, France and England.”
