Hispanophile Blanc charmed by Iniesta

France coach Laurent Blanc has expressed his admiration for Spain midfielder Andres Iniesta, ahead of the quarter-final between the two countries in Donetsk on Saturday.

"He's one of their key players," said Blanc.

"He has a fantastic ability with the ball and his movement is really intelligent. He's one of their major players, just as he is for Barcelona.

"They can turn to four or five players from Barcelona and Real Madrid, so it's a well-oiled machine. There's no comparison between the two sides, but we have to take our chance."