Meanwhile their Belgian opponents, having been given an almighty scare by Japan in the last-16, demonstrated their credentials and ability to compete at the highest level, by deservedly beating Brazil, the pre-tournament favourites, in the Quarter-Finals.
In some people’s eyes that has made Belgium favourites to win this match and the tournament itself, but that is to ignore the quality that France has in all positions. In particular, they have a potent attacking threat, led by Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappe, and, although centre-forward Olivier Giroud is yet to score in the tournament, manager Didier Deschamps has already says he has no intention of dropping him, because of his all-round contribution to the side.
They also have a powerful midfield, led by Paul Pogba, and with N’golo Kante performing his defensive duties as well as ever, they will look to stop Belgium counter-attacks in their tracks.
For their part, the Belgium side, almost entirely made-up of Premier League players, will be looking to pick-up where they left off against Brazil. Losing against Japan, manager Roberto Martinez introduced Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli from the bench, and they helped turn the game around. They were retained for the Brazil game, and the pair helped stifle the South American’s attacking game. They can be expected to perform a similar role against the French, and with the talents of Kevin de Bruyne alongside them, they should provide a potent midfield thrust to support Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku in attack.
One problem for them in defence is that right-back Thomas Meunier has picked-up two yellow cards in the competition, and will be suspended for this match, so Martinez might have to shuffle his pack a little.
In the end, the match may well go to penalties, in which case both goalkeepers will come under the spotlight. There is little to choose between them. Both play for London clubs, Spurs and Chelsea, and both have been in excellent form in the competition. Hugo Lloris of France, made a brilliant save in the Quarter-Final against Uruguay when the score was still only 1 – 0, whilst Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois produced three top-drawer saves to keep out the Brazilians.
This match would have been worthy of a final, so it is not to be missed.
France v Belgium Predictions:Belgium to win in Extra Time