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Arguably the stand-out Round of 16 tie on paper sees France and Belgium go head-to-head in Dusseldorf after both teams surprisingly failed to win their respective groups.
KICK-OFF DATE/TIME: Monday 1st July, 2024 - UK – 5:00pm / US ET – 12:00pm / US PT – 9:00am
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – ITV / US – FOX
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – ITVX / US –VIX
FRANCE PREVIEW: BEING HELD BY ELIMINATED POLAND FORCES LES BLEUS INTO TOUGH SIDE OF THE DRAW
Taking on a Poland side, already out of EURO 2024 after losing their opening two group matches, many understandably thought France would breeze through this game with Didier Deschamps’ side needing victory to ensure top spot in Group D. But Les Bleus struggled to break down their opponents, with a Kylian Mbappe penalty eventually opening the scoring in the second half.
Having finally got their goal, you would be forgiven for thinking that would be game over. However, France were pegged back in surprising fashion, conceding a penalty of their own which Robert Lewandowski converted for Poland. It eventually finished 1-1, France’s second consecutive draw and combined with Austria win over Netherlands, left Deschamps’ men settling for second-place.
BELGIUM PREVIEW: FAILURE TO BEAT UKRAINE SETS UP DIFFICULT FRENCH SHOWDOWN
Belgium knew that victory over Ukraine in their third EURO 2024 fixture would see them finish top of Group E, avoiding plenty of formidable opponents in the knockout stage on the other side of the bracket. However, a lack of potency saw them fail to score for the second time in the competition, eventually drawing 0-0 and allowing Romania to win the group.
Such a result was met by fierce boos by Belgium fans in the group, furious at their side’s lack of attacking imagination under Domenico Tedesco and the retention of possession by the corner flag late in play as the Red Devils prioritised not conceding a goal, which would’ve seen them knocked out of the tournament. However, such an outcome has led to them meeting France, with a potential quarter-final tie with former boss Roberto Martinez’s Portugal on the table.
FRANCE TEAM NEWS: GRIEZMANN SET FOR RETURN TO STARTING LINE-UP
Deschamps faces plenty of big decisions following their Poland draw. After being left on the bench in that game with a knock, Antoine Griezmann should be back in from the start, whilst Kylian Mbappe could play on the left-side of a front three with the all-time record goalscorer Olivier Giroud brought in to give France a focal point up top.
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Maignan; Kounde, Upamecano, Saliba, Hernandez; Kante, Tchouameni, Rabiot; Griezmann, Giroud, Mbappe
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE:
BELGIUM TEAM NEWS: LUKEBAKIO BACK FROM SUSPENSION
After missing the draw against Ukraine through suspension, attacking winger Dodi Lukebakio should immediately return to Belgium’s starting line-up as Tedesco likely looks to replicate their attacking success vs Romania in the group stage, by fielding the same side who won 2-0 on that occasion with Jeremy Doku preferred over Leandro Trossard on the left wing.
PREDICTED XI (4-2-3-1): Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Tielemans, Onana; Lukebakio, De Bruyne, Doku; Lukaku
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE: Meunier (Injured), Witsel (Injured)
KEY STATS
FRANCE VS BELGIUM PREDICTION
Two sides who look incredibly strong on paper, but have struggled to put the ball in the net so far at EURO 2024, which leads us to believe that we could be in for a tense and tight encounter, even with the likes of Mbappe and De Bruyne on the pitch. Both these teams are averaging less than a goal per game and with the pressure even higher in the Round of 16, this may have adverse effect on this one as an overall spectacle.
Although France and Belgium should create openings and big chances for themselves, each have missed plenty of these opportunities across the group stage and that could well continue here. When taking this into account, the shrewd play is backing under 2.5 goals to be scored between these two over the course of 90 minutes, regardless of who comes out on top.
FRANCE VS BELGIUM TIP: UNDER 2.5 GOALS