New York [US], July 18 : Former Spain coach Vicente del Bosque believes Spain will have the edge in the FIFA World Cup final but warned that Argentina's resilience, experience, and tactical discipline make them a difficult opponent.
He praised Spain's performances throughout the tournament, highlighting their control, confidence, and ability to dictate the pace of matches.
The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina will be played at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday (local time).
Del Bosque guided Spain to their first-ever FIFA World Cup triumph in 2010, defeating the Netherlands 1-0 in the final in South Africa.
"Argentina are a tough team to play against, a real nuisance, if I may use the word, and they know exactly what they need to do," del Bosque told the El Pais newspaper in an interview published on Saturday, as per Reuters.
"I see the final as favouring Spain, but they need to be wary of the Argentines, given how difficult they are to face and their experience. In the matches we have watched, the game was played exactly on the national team's terms; they dominated the situation and demonstrated both assurance and confidence," he added.
Spain have justified that faith with an impressive run to the final, recovering from their opening draw with Cape Verde to win six consecutive matches. La Roja have conceded just one goal in the tournament and arrive in the final after a commanding 2-0 victory over France in the semi-finals.
Spain head into the final aiming to secure their second FIFA World Cup title, 16 years after their historic triumph in 2010, while Argentina are bidding to become the first team since Brazil in 1962 to successfully retain the trophy.