GNIEWINO: Spain coach Vicente del Bosque believes France will pose a stern test for the champions in their Euro 2012 quarter-final encounter on Saturday.

The Spaniards booked their ticket to the last eight on Monday when they beat Croatia 1-0 to finish as Group C winners, while France followed suit on Tuesday, as a 2-0 defeat against Sweden forced them to settle for the runners-up spot in Group D.

Del Bosque is wary of the quality at France coach Laurent Blanc's disposal and revealed that he will need time to prepare for the clash before deciding on his ideal starting line-up.

"We know that they are on a similar level to us and it will be a difficult game. France have made a lot of progress since the 2010 World Cup," he told Onda Cero.

"They have made some important changes and have great players such as Karim Benzema, Hatem Ben Arfa, Samir Nasri, Florent Malouda and Franck Ribery.

"This is a really big game, and we have all been looking forward to it. We will have time to prepare for the match and think of the best line-up."