Didier Deschamps’s misfiring France side take on a struggling Belgium team at the last 16 of Euro 2024 on Monday, 1 July.
What would usually be the tie of the round arrives with some trepidation from both sides, as both come into the match having finished second in their groups and experienced mix results in their first three games.
Les Bleus will be the more confident of the two teams, with Didier Deschamps’ side confident in their big-game record and boasting an impressive spine of Mike Maignan, William Saliba, Ngolo Kante and Kylian Mbappe.
Though France haven’t found their shooting boots yet, their brilliant defensive unit will be confident against a disjointed, misfiring Belgian attack, with the Red Devils struggling against Slovakia and Ukraine as Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Jeremy Doku have struggled to click.
Les Bleus will be favourites but Belgium’s level of talent means that you can never rule them out, so both sides will need to be at their best – or, at least, a lot better than they have been – if they want to secure a place in the last eight.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game including all the latest team news.
When is France v Belgium?
The match will kick off at 5pm BST on Monday 1 July at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf.
What TV channel is it on?
The match will be shown on ITV 1 with coverage starting at 4pm. The match can also be streamed live online via ITVX. You can find a full list of which channel is showing each match here.
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What is the team news?
There are no new injury concerns for France, so expect Didier Deschamps to go with his trusted personnel. There may be room for Aurelien Tchouameni to start over Adrien Rabiot, while Griezmann or Mbappe could move wide to enable Thuram or Giroud to start centrally in attack.
The defence will likely stay the same after a string of impressive performances. Most of those who played in other positions during the draw against Poland – such as Bradley Barcola, Youssouf Fofana and Randal Kolo Muani – have likely not done enough to earn a starting spot for Les Bleus.
Belgium have no known injury worries either, but Domenico Tedesco could look to change things as his side continue to struggle.
There are few alternatives in the back five despite poor performances, with the experiment involving Yannick Carrasco at full-back having failed miserably.
In midfield, Amadou Onana is one of few Belgian players to come out of the group stages with any credit, while Youri Tielemans ws ineffective against Ukraine and could be replaced by Orel Mangala.
Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku will surely start, but both Jeremy Doku and Leandro Trossard may be worried about their starting spots, with Lois Openda, Johan Bakayoko and Dodi Lukebakio all waiting in the wings.
Confirmed line-ups
France XI: Maignan; Kounde, Upamencano, Saliba, T. Hernandez; Tchouameni, Kante, Rabiot; Griezmann, M. Thuram, Mbappe
Belgium XI: Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate, Carrasco, Onana, De Bruyne, Doku, Openda, Lukaku
Odds
France 5/6
Draw 17/10
Belgium 3/1
Prediction
Belgium have the weapons to hurt France, but it really hasn’t clicked for them and the French defence has been impressive so far. Up front, France have struggled at times, but Mbappe and co. will have enough to get past a weak Belgian backline. France 2-0 Belgium.
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