France vs Belgium Prediction: French Delight
Good enough to be a final in any international tournament. This round of 16 tie feels like a motion picture blockbuster. The kind of stuff footballing dreams are made off. On one side you have Kylian Mbappe, on the other you have Kevin De Bruyne. The characters involved, the weight on the players shoulders and the FIFA rankings, all point to a match that cannot to be missed.
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Team News
Kylian Mbappe is expected to start against Belgium after making his return to the starting line up last week Tuesday against Poland. Antoine Griezmann is also expected to feature from the start. The midfield may experience some changes with calls for Adrien Rabiot not to be included from the start to make space for Aurelien Tchouameni.
Belgium are faced with a lot of backlash from their fans. Captain Kevin De Bruyne did not take kindly to the abuse and his attitude in this match will speak volumes of his feeling and the teams feelings as well. Romelu Lukaku is likely to start but if his team is going to progress, he will need to find his goal scoring form.
predicted France Line-up (4-3-1-2): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez; Rabiot, Kante; Dembele, Griezmann, Barcola; Mbappe
Predicted Belgium Line-up (4-2-3-1): Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Tielemans, Onana; Doku, De Bruyne, Carrasco; Lukaku
The Odds on France winning this tie, are set at 93/100, 9/4 for the draw and 7/2 for a Belgium win. This match on occasion is a high scoring spectical. The Odds on this match following that lead at goals over 2.5 is set at 10/9
Double Chance - Home or Draw 21/100
Belgium have failed to keep a clean sheet against France in their last three encounters. This includes their 3-2 loss to France in the UEFA Nations League, which took place in October of 2021. They met in the 2018 World Cup and France again walked away victorious with a 1-0 win. That occasion will be remembered as Mbappe's crowning moment, as France went on to lift the trophy and Belgium were left to ponder what could have been. The golden generation had fallen short again. A line up that featured the world best talents. Players like Lukaku, Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne, Fellaini, Witsel, Dembele, Vincent Company, Alderweireld, Nacer Chadili, Jan Vertonghen and Tibaut Courtois in goals. Many football fans, pundits and analyst backed Belgium to win this game. Fast forward to the present day and most of the players that featured in that 2018 clash have no retired or are no longer active in the national team. Eden Hazard has left football, Vincent Kompany was recently announced as the next manager to Bayern Munich, and Fellaini, Dembele and Witsel no longer make up the midfield combo for Belgium. Jan Vetonghen, Lukaku, Carrasco and Kevin De Bruyne are all that remains from that golden generation of Belgian football.
France who have by far been the best team in the world for almost a decade. Are once again taking the difficult route to the final. although my argument above, points to a fallen Belgium team. They are still very capable of taking France down. Especially when you consider the seasons Leandro Trossard and Jeremy Doku have just had. They will need to be the difference for Belgium, while France will look to their dynamic duo of Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele to deal the damage to Belgium. Didier Dechamps, is no stranger to playing the big teams on his way to a major final. in 2018 he had to navigate his team past Argentina, Uruguay, Belgium and eventually beat Croatia in the final to be crowned champions of the world. 2022 would see his team play Poland, England, and Morocco on the way to a final against eventual champions Argentina. Belgium would fail to leave Group F, finishing third behind Croatia and Morocco. For France the pedigree is there, however, they did get knocked out at this stage in the 2021 edition of this competition by Switzerland on penalties.
France will be boosted by their run of six games without a loss. They have recorded three draws and three wins in their last six. The only worry is that they have not been free scoring as many people forecasted for this tournament. When it comes to the result, I am convinced that this match will not be settled within the scheduled 90 minutes. it will take extra time and perhaps penalties to decide this one. However, France will emerge victorious at the end. I have taken the safe route in this one and backed a Home or Draw.
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