Vicente del Bosque: Spain aiming to "change history"

Vicente del Bosque has called upon his Spain side to "change history" when they face France in the quarter-finals of Euro 2012 later today.

The defending champions are favourites to progress to the semi-final of the competition at the expense of the French.

However, the history records show that Spain have never managed to beat Les Bleus in a competitive international encounter.

With that statistic in mind, Del Bosque has challenged his players to collect a positive result this time around.

"Everyone thinks we are favourites because we won the Euros four years ago and the World Cup two years ago, but there is evidence that France are better in competitive matches," he told reporters.

"We have to think about the present and not the past. We all have to see if we can change history."

The winner of tonight's tie will take on Portugal for a place in the final.