Two of the highest-ranked nations in the world battle on Monday as France play Belgium in the first knockout stage of Euro 2024.
Neither side were convincing in the group stage, but France qualified after finishing second in Group D, while Belgium finished second in Group D.
France current form
Despite having an embarrassment of riches in the final third, France only scored two goals in the group stage - and one of them was an own-goal from Austria's Maximilian Wober in the first game as Les Bleus earned a 1-0 victory.
France followed that win with two forgettable draws against the Netherlands and Poland.
Probably the most eventful thing that happened to them in the group stage was Kylian Mbappe breaking his nose in the first game. Thankfully for France and the player, he was able to return to feature in the tournament wearing a protective mask.
Belgium current form
Like France, Belgium were poor in the group stage despite qualifying.
They started their Euro 2024 campaign with defeat against Slovakia, only to bounce back with a comfortable 2-0 defeat of Romania.
In their last group game, they were booed by their own fans as they could only manage a 0-0 draw versus Ukraine. Romelu Lukaku hasn't scored so far, but has been unlucky to see three goals disallowed.
France vs Belgium Team News
There are no fresh injury concerns for Didier Deschamps following the draw against Poland. There were obvious worries surrounding Mbappe after the first game but he played the whole 90 minutes versus the Poles and even score, so he is fine after his nose break.
Antoine Griezmann was rested or dropped, depending on your perspective, for the Poland draw, but he should be reinstated here, perhaps at the expense of Bradley Barcola.
Deschamps has a full squad available at his disposal.
Axel Witsel and Thomas Meunier haven't played a minute of the tournament so far and won't play any part in this game either, so Domenico Tedesco will field the same back four that started against Ukraine.
He has decisions to make on the wings, though, as Dodi Lukebakio is available again after his suspension. That will likely mean Leandro Trossard dropping to the bench.
None of the wingers that have featured for the Red Devils so far have covered themselves in glory, including Man City's Jeremy Doku.
Scoreline Prediction
Both France and Belgium have been poor at the Euros, but the former has plenty more players that are capable of a moment of magic. It might be up to someone like Mbappe to win this game on his own.
FAQs
What was the score the last time France played Belgium? In October of 2021, France defeated Belgium 3-2 in the semi-final of the Nations League.
What time does the match kick-off? The game commences at 1700 GMT.
Where is France versus Belgium being played? The game will be played at the Dusseldorf Arena.
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