"We will do everything we can..." Rudi Garcia Backs Underdog Belgium To Shock Spain

Belgium head coach Rudi Garcia says his side are embracing their underdog tag ahead of Friday's FIFA World Cup quarter-final against Spain, insisting the Red Devils have both the belief and attacking quality to eliminate one of the tournament favourites.

Spain arrive in Los Angeles unbeaten and yet to concede a goal in the competition, but Garcia believes Belgium have every reason to believe they can spring another surprise after their emphatic 4-1 victory over the United States in the Round of 16.

The Belgian coach also claimed his side have gained "millions and millions" of new supporters following the controversy surrounding Folarin Balogun's suspended red-card ban before the United States clash.

The build-up to Belgium's victory over the USA was overshadowed by FIFA's controversial decision to suspend Balogun's automatic one-match ban after intervention from U.S. President Donald Trump, who publicly revealed he had contacted FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

Belgium responded by winning convincingly, with players celebrating afterward by mimicking Trump's signature dance, while the Belgian Football Federation posted the message, "Overturn this."

Garcia revealed he also spoke with Balogun after the controversy.

"I told him he couldn't be blamed for Trump's lobbying or FIFA's willingness to change the decision," Garcia explained.

Looking ahead to Spain, Garcia believes the events of recent days have only strengthened Belgium's resolve.

"The conditions will only be as difficult as they were in the Round of 16," he said in his pre-match press conference.

"We had 12 million Belgium fans and now, over the last few days, I think we have millions and millions behind us. They have joined our ranks and I think that will be great. I think that will give us incredible strength."

Garcia has no doubts about the scale of the challenge awaiting his team.

Spain have been one of the standout sides of the tournament, combining defensive solidity with their trademark possession-based football.

"We know we are playing one of the favourites and we know the strength they have as individuals and as a collective," Garcia said.

"They are the best when it comes to possession of the ball, and we know they have not conceded a goal, but statistics are there to be broken, and we will do what we can to score. If not, we will be sent packing."

Despite acknowledging Spain's quality, Garcia pointed to Belgium's own attacking threat as reason for optimism. The Red Devils have scored 13 goals during the tournament, making them one of the competition's highest-scoring teams.

"Everyone is talking about us going home, but we can do it."

Garcia also dismissed concerns over what could be a partisan crowd inside Los Angeles Stadium after Belgium eliminated co-hosts the United States.

"We just beat the U.S. in a stadium where everyone was against us," he said.

"It's not the crowd that scores the goals. We will focus on what we can do. We have enough on our plate with Spain, who are a wonderful footballing team. Even if we are the underdogs, we will do everything we can to give them a run for their money."

One of Belgium's biggest weapons could once again come from the bench.

Romelu Lukaku has started only one match at the World Cup but has still managed three goals and an assist, averaging a goal every 50 minutes despite limited playing time.

Garcia believes the veteran striker changes games simply by stepping onto the pitch.

"We had lots of chats," Garcia said.

"When he comes on the opponents are quaking in their boots. They are much more worried."

The Belgium manager even joked during his press conference that Lukaku was only pretending to be a substitute before smiling and insisting he knew exactly how important his role had become.

The 33-year-old admitted discussions with Garcia before the tournament helped him accept a reduced workload after an injury-hit club season.

"I had a chat with the coach in April and he said I had to be prepared for a certain role," Lukaku said.

"I said, 'OK,' and here we are. Everything is going well and we are going to continue like this."

The striker acknowledged it would have been unrealistic to expect to start every game after managing only limited minutes for Napoli last season.

"It would be crazy, having played just 64 minutes, to start every game. It would be self-destructive. It is all about the team. I have to play with my head as well."

Lukaku also praised Spain's strengths but insisted Belgium are ready for the challenge.

"Spain are an excellent team. They look for the third man, they have speed on the sides and they provide depth. But we are well prepared and we have assets that can make life difficult for them."

As Belgium prepare for one of their toughest tests of the tournament, Lukaku made the objective crystal clear.

"If you get this far you're not going to just play to go home," he said. "We need to play the perfect game tomorrow."