Spain vs France: How Rodri and N'Golo Kante battle will decide Euro 2024 semi-final

On the eve of this European Championship, Didier Deschamps sensed something was not quite right.

The France manager is a veteran of major tournaments now — this being his sixth in charge — and feared a seemingly glittering midfield of Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Adrien Rabiot would not be enough to go all the way in Germany.

His solution caused great surprise in France when he recalled N'Golo Kante, two years after his last cap.

Could the 33-year-old still play at the highest level after a season in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad?

The answer at these finals has been clear. Kante has been outstanding for France and will be key to their chances of beating Spain in tonight's heavyweight semi-final in Munich.

In a tournament in which France's success has been built on a solid defence and Spain's on free-flowing attack, tonight could be defined by the midfield battle between Kante, formerly the best midfielder in the world, and Spain's Rodri, the best right now.

Kante was crucial when France won the 2018 World Cup, his constant harrying and scurrying unsettling opponents. Six years on, he will have the same brief against Spain.

While his job will be to keep Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo quiet, Rodri will be tasked with pocketing the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Tchouameni.

Rodri says his job is to "make my team work". No wonder he played more than 5,000 minutes last season.

The Manchester City star must cover more space than ever tonight, because he must cater for the loss of Pedri, out of the tournament with a knee injury sustained against Germany in the quarter-finals.

Rodri was released from Atletico Madrid's academy as a boy due to a "lack of physical strength", and yet this semi-final could be defined by a midfield tussle against a player of even slighter build and nine inches shorter than him.

Their roles are different. If it is Kante's industry that made him great, then Rodri's success is in his ability to change the rhythm of a match, picking the right short pass at the right time. But both will be pivotal to their teams' chances of grappling control in Munich.

As well as Pedri, Spain will be without suspended defenders Robin Le Normand and Dani Carvajal. It means a reshuffle at the back, where Nacho and a 38-year-old Jesus Navas are expected to come in.

Luis de la Fuente's side have been rightly lauded for clicking in the final third, but they have conceded just two goals and their stingy defence has gone under the radar.

France's run to the last four has been similar in one sense — conceding only a Robert Lewandowski penalty means they have the best defence in the tournament.

It has been a different story further forward, though, where a glittering attack has fallen flatter than England's. Incredibly, a French player is still yet to score from open play. A penalty from Kylian Mbappe and two own-goals are all they have mustered.

Plenty of criticism has landed at the door of Deschamps, and he snapped back at reporters again last night when he said: "If you're getting bored, watch another game."

Griezmann has failed to make a real impact, but it is a lethargic Mbappe who has embodied France's struggles. He has one goal, one assist and has floated in and out of games. While Deschamps has been lambasted for keeping the handbrake on, De la Fuente has been praised for picking players he worked with in Spain's youth ranks, creating a close-knit group.

Nico Williams, Olmo and Ruiz have five goals and five assists between them, while 16-year-old Lamine Yamal has frightened every left-back he has come up against and registered three assists.

In Munich tonight, different landscapes collide with a place in Sunday's final in Berlin on the line.