World Cup Preview - France v Belgium
Wednesday 11/07/2018 - 4am
Odds: France $2.50, Belgium $3
The first semi-final between France and Belgium kicks off on Wednesday morning (4am) in Saint Petersburg. France are aiming for their first final appearance since 2006 and Belgium will be desperate to reach their first ever World Cup final game.
France won through to this stage with a comfortable 2-0 win over Uruguay. They’re undefeated at the World Cup this year and have lived up their pre-tournament predictions. They topped Group C with close wins over Australia and Peru, then recorded a 0-0 draw against Denmark as both sides had already qualified. They opened the Knockout stage with a close and high scoring affair against Argentina, winning 4-3.
Belgium upset Brazil with a 2-1 victory to reach this matchup against France. They led 2-0 from the 31st minute thanks to an own goal and a great strike by Kevin De Bruyne. In the end, they held off Brazil and they will now aim for their first World Cup final appearance. They haven’t lost a game or drawn in this tournament so they should be confident as the underdog in the betting. Belgium easily won their group, scoring 9 goals to 2, with easy wins over Tunisia and Panama. A 1-0 win over England would see them play Japan in the next round. Down 2-0, they staged a remarkable comeback to steal a 3-2 win.
Head to Head
The two sides played in a high scoring affair in 2015 with Belgium getting over the line 4-3. Overall, Belgium is just ahead from the 28 meetings with a 10-9-9 record. The last World Cup meeting was back in 1981 and Belgium won 2-0.
2015 - Belgium 4, France 3 (Friendly)
2013 - Belgium 0, France 0 (Friendly)
2011 - Belgium 0, France 0 (Friendly)
2004 - France 2, Belgium 0 (Friendly)
2002 - Belgium 2, France 1 (Friendly)
Players to Watch
Antoine Griezmann is the key to France's attacking success and he's scored in both wins against Argentina and Uruguay. He also has 7 goals in France's last 6 knockout games. So he's a big game player.
Along with Griezmann, Kylian Mbappé is a player to watch for France and looks to be a future superstar of the game. Coming into this World Cup as a 19 year old, he's fast become one of France's best players and will be a huge task for the Belgium defence.
Kevin De Bruyne scored his first and most important goal of the World Cup with his strike against Brazil giving Belgium a 2-0 winning lead in the end. If Belgium are to crack this tough French defence, De Bruyne will be the key.
Eden Hazard was outstanding in the comeback win over Japan and has been inspirational as the Belgium captain in this World Cup. So can he lead Belgium to their first ever World Cup final?
Prediction
In a matchup of two of the best attacking teams in the tournament, the Both Teams to Score bet is the safe bet. France have scored 6 goals in their last 2 wins and have only been held goalless in a meaningless game against Denmark. The likes of Antoine Griezmann and Kylian Mbappé will be a tough task for the Belgium defence. Meanwhile, Belgium haven't been held to a clean sheet in this World Cup and also possess a number of attacking weapons up forward. Furthermore, the last meeting between the two sides ended in a 7 goal result so I'm liking the trend in this matchup. In Belgium's last 5 World Cup games, the over 2.5 goals has saluted in 4 of 5 so while they can find the back of the net, their defence can be vulnerable to sides like France. In the end, I do see France winning this contest but it's a tough call to back them straight up.
