France and Spain will collide in the semifinals of EuroBasket 2015 on Thursday in Lille, where the winner will automatically get a ticket to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Spain advanced to the semis of this year's European championship via a thrilling victory against Greece, who were considered as one of the strongest title contenders heading into EuroBasket 2015.

On the other hand, France leaned on a strong performance in the second half of their quarter-final match against Latvia to run away with an 84-70 to arrange a semis showdown with Spain.

Spain and France engaged in big battles over the past several years. According to a report on the EuroBasket 2015 website, Spain defeated France in the EuroBasket 2009 quarterfinals, EuroBasket 2011 final and 2012 London Olympics final.

But in their most recent battles, France got the best of their rivals. The French won during the EuroBasket 2013 semifinals en route to the title and also derailed Spain's world championship bid during the quarterfinals of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

France head coach Vincent Collet knows the Spanish squad very well. For him, they should play aggressively for the entire match in order to have a chance of keeping their streak against Spain.

"We know we will have to play very aggressive defense for 40 minutes," Collet said. "Spain is not only great on offence but they control the court very well on defense. They give you only jump shots and Pau guards the paint well. And the guards bring the players to Pau."

Spain coach Sergio Scariolo is also looking forward to their upcoming match against France. He said that he is proud of what his team accomplished in the tournament because he knows most analysts already counted them out when resident stars like Marc Gasol and Ricky Rubio decide not to play this year.

However, Scariolo insisted that they will still go all out because their main goal is to reclaim the title they lost in 2013.

"Being in the semi-final with so many main players out is a great, great accomplishment," Scariolo said. "But we don't want to see it as a goal achieved. We want to keep going. Until an opponent overcomes us, we will be there."

Predictions & Where To Watch

Like what Scariolo said, most of their key players are out and Spain will feel their absence in the semis against a star-studded team like France. The French side will parade NBA players Tony Parker, Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier, Joffrey Lauvergne, Boris Diaw and Rudy Gobert.

With a deeper roster this year, expect France to pull away late in the game and score a convincing win in front of their home crowd at Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille.

Fans can catch the Spain-France EuroBasket 2015 semifinal match on ESPN3. It will also be available through online streaming via WatchESPN and Live Basketball TV.