These two European powerhouses clash on Thursday at the Juventus Stadium in the UEFA Nations League semi-final!
Belgium, under the leadership of Roberto Martinez, eased to top spot in League A Group 2 to advance to the final four, while Les Bleus beat reigning champions Portugal to top Group 3.
Belgium have claimed three victories from three in World Cup Qualifying fixtures with Estonia, the Czech Republic, and Belarus – scoring nine goals and conceding just two – with Dennis Praet netting the winner against the latter.
Incredibly, Belgium only have two defeats in their last 31 games across all tournaments! However, this last defeat came in their Nations League group almost a year ago, as England saw them beat 2-1 at Wembley.
The Red Devils are still waiting for a piece of silverware to mark their rapid rise despite the wealth of impressive talent that has emerged through their ranks in recent years. Should they reach the final, overcoming Italy or Spain will be no small feat.
France’s situation is more concerning. They were held to a pair of 1-1 draws by Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ukraine during September’s World Cup qualifiers, but there was some relief with a 2-0 win over Finland in their most recent battle, with Antoine Griezmann notching up both goals on the day.
This win over Finland saw France end an alarming run of five games without a win across all competitions, but only being able to boast one triumph from their last six games is concerning nonetheless.
Prediction
Look for Belgium to start strong, and with eight wins from their last nine in all tournaments, combined with France’s recent poor form, they are favourites to advance to Sunday’s showpiece event at San Siro. France are also lacking their key star in N’Golo Kante, which will further hurt their chances.
Belgium 2 – 0 France
