Tuchel: England must beat Spain to win World Cup; Rice praises Messi

England manager Thomas Tuchel views Spain as a formidable favorite in the ongoing World Cup, asserting that any team aspiring to win the tournament must eventually overcome Luis de la Fuente's squad.

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Spain is one of the favorites for me, due to their recent history of winning titles together and consistently reaching finals and even the finish line.

"Spain is one of the favorites for me, due to their recent history of winning titles together and consistently reaching finals and even the finish line," Tuchel stated at a press conference ahead of England's match against Ghana. He believes the Spanish team will advance far in the competition.

Tuchel admitted that he has not been able to watch as much football as he would have liked during the World Cup due to the demanding schedule, which often conflicts with England's training sessions. "The last match (Spain's) practically coincided with our training session, so I only saw the highlights of the victory against Saudi Arabia," he explained.

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If you want to win the title, at some point you have to beat Spain, I am convinced of that.

Meanwhile, England midfielder Declan Rice took the opportunity to praise Lionel Messi. Following Messi's two goals against Austria, which saw him surpass Miroslav Klose as the World Cup's all-time leading scorer, Rice described the Argentinian's performance as "very special." Rice added, "As a fan and lover of football, as well as a player, it's incredible to watch him play."

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I have to highlight what Messi is doing in the World Cup. I think it is very special that we are witnessing this, and what he is doing at his age - Messi is two days away from turning 39 - is incredible.