Spain defender Olga Carmona said there is no mention of the word favourites around the team’s base in Switzerland as they prepare to face Belgium in the European Championship on Monday.

World champions Spain opened their campaign with an impressive 5-0 win over Portugal on Thursday in Group B and can seal a quarterfinal place with a win over Belgium in Thun if Portugal don’t beat Italy later in the day.

Many tipped La Roja to win the Euros pre-tournament, and the Portugal performance has only strengthened that opinion, but Carmona said they are blocking out the external noise.

“Internally we don’t mention that word [favourites],” the newly signed Paris Saint-Germain left-back said in a news conference.

“We just want to keep picking up wins. Football is unpredictable and we want to take things step by step.

“We wanted to start with a win and we did that. But we’ve spoken, we’re keeping our feet on the ground. We can’t get carried away with the Portugal win, every team is going to make it difficult.

“We have another challenge tomorrow and we want to overcome it. We are up against a strong Belgium side and we’re going to prepare well to face them.”

Spain have now won their last six games in all competitions, recovering from a difficult spell which stretched from the Olympic Games last summer into the start of this year.

During that time they won just three of their eight fixtures, but Carmona said a renewed focus on pressing helped them turn a corner.

“There are games when we could have pressed better after losing the ball,” the former Real Madrid defender added.

“I think we have improved there. You can see how much more effective we are. That pressure after losing the ball is part of our DNA and maybe we forgot it at times.

“But the staff are there to remind us and they’ve helped us improve.”

Spain coach Montse Tomé towed a similar line to Carmona, pointing out that one win means very little at this stage.

“After the Portugal game, I told the players to enjoy the moment and value the win because it wasn’t easy,” Tomé said in a news conference.

“Since then, it’s been about recovery and preparing for future challenges. The players have also had some free time to rest and disconnect, which is key.

“But the message is that we have only won one game. We have to keep our feet on the ground, stay humble and work hard.”

Spain will welcome back captain Irene Paredes against Belgium after she served a suspension against Portugal.

Ballon d’Or holder Aitana Bonmatí is also in line to start after recovering from viral meningitis to come off the bench in the opening game.

“[Bonmatí] has an amazing mentality and is so focused on this Euros,” Tomé added. “It’s a shame what she went through, there was some fear at first, but she’s doing well.

“She played some minutes the other day, always while prioritising her health. We will follow that line, but she is available. The good thing is she’s recovered.”