Thibaut Courtois Backs Belgium To Shock Spain At World Cup

Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has embraced the underdog tag ahead of the FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Spain, insisting his side has every reason to believe they can eliminate one of the tournament's favourites.

The Real Madrid goalkeeper will face Spain for the first time in his international career, despite spending the past 11 years playing club football in the country.

As Belgium prepared for the last-eight showdown with a training session at LA Galaxy's facilities on Wednesday, Courtois acknowledged the scale of the challenge awaiting the Red Devils.

"Spain is a great team. I think they're one of the favorites to win it," Courtois told reporters.

"So obviously we start as underdogs against them. But in football, everything is possible. I believe that we can win, with all respect. But obviously, they are the favorite."

Spain arrive in the quarter-finals in formidable form after becoming the first team in FIFA World Cup history to record six consecutive clean sheets, underlining why many view Luis de la Fuente's side as serious contenders for the title.

Courtois hopes his familiarity with many of Spain's players can offer Belgium a slight tactical advantage.

Having spent more than a decade competing in La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, the 33-year-old knows many of Spain's squad inside out.

"For me, it helps that I know them," Courtois said.

"Most are from Spanish football, and some from the Champions League as well."

"But at the end of the day, we are playing against Spain, not against Barça, City, or Arsenal. Everyone knows those players."

While individual knowledge may help, Courtois believes Belgium's success will ultimately depend on matching Spain collectively over 90 minutes.

Asked about facing another tournament heavyweight, Courtois immediately recalled Belgium's memorable 2-1 victory over Brazil at the 2018 World Cup, a result that carried the Red Devils to the semi-finals for the first time in more than three decades.

"They were favored against us, and maybe they were more individually with more quality in the team," Courtois said.

"But I feel we are a great team all together now, and we are fighting."

That sense of unity has defined Belgium's run to the quarter-finals.

After staging a remarkable comeback from two goals down to defeat Senegal 3-2, Belgium followed it up with an emphatic 4-1 victory over the United States to secure their place in the last eight.

Courtois believes those performances have strengthened the team's belief heading into its toughest assignment yet.

"Especially the match against Senegal showed our ability to keep believing until the end," he said.

"The important thing is to win games. It's a nice thing to also play well, but the most important thing is to win and to compete, and that's what we did."

Belgium now stand one victory away from another World Cup semi-final, but must first overcome a Spanish side yet to concede a goal in the tournament.

The winners of Friday's quarter-final will advance to face either France or Morocco in the last four.

While Spain's defensive record and unbeaten form make them favourites on paper, Courtois is convinced Belgium possess the resilience, experience and belief required to produce another famous World Cup upset.

For the Real Madrid goalkeeper, history has already shown that favourites do not always prevail on football's biggest stage.