France vs Belgium Euro 2024 Preview: Team News & Playing XI, H2H Record, Stats, Prediction

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France vs Belgium Euro 2024, Round of 16: The Euro 2024 Round of 16 features a highly anticipated matchup between two tournament favorites, France and Belgium, set to take place on July 1st at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Düsseldorf.

Despite their potential, both teams underperformed in the group stage, only settling for a second place in their groups following unexpected draws in their final group-stage matches, setting the stage for a thrilling knockout encounter.

France managed to secure only one victory in their three group-stage matches, which placed them on the more challenging side of the bracket. However, the Les Blues have been quite impressive in the offensive third despite their star forward Kylian Mbappe missing one match, making them one of the big threats in the tournament.

Belgium, on the other hand, had a lackluster group stage performance, finishing second in what was considered the easiest group. This has made their path to the semifinals significantly more difficult, requiring a much-improved performance to compete with France.

France vs Belgium Euro 2024 Schedule

When will be the France vs Belgium Euro 2024 Match?

The France vs Belgium Euro 2024 round of 16 match will be played on Monday (1st July). The game starts at 9:30 pm IST/ 5.00 pm GMT

Where will be France vs Belgium Euro 2024 Match Played?

The France vs Belgium match will be played at Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf, Germany.

France vs Belgium FIFA Ranking, Recent Form

France FIFA Ranking: 2

Belgium FIFA Ranking: 3

Recent Form (Most Recent First)

France (in all competitions): D-D-W-D-W

Belgium (in all competitions): D-W-L-W-W

France vs Belgium H2H Record and Last Meeting

This match marks the 76th international encounter between France and Belgium. Historically, France has dominated major tournament clashes, winning all four previous encounters in World Cup and European Championship settings.

But overall Belgium have won more with 30 wins compared to France's 26 while 19 games ended equally.

Recent history although favors France, with Les Bleus winning the last two competitive meetings: a 3-2 victory in the 2021 UEFA Nations League and a 1-0 win in the 2018 World Cup semi-final.

France vs Belgium Team News, Injury Update

France's coach Didier Deschamps experimented with Bradley Barcola in place of Antoine Griezmann in their match against Poland, but the PSG winger's performance was lackluster.

Griezmann is expected to return to the starting lineup. Captain Kylian Mbappe, despite an injury scare, is likely to start with a protective face mask. Marcus Thuram may also be included in the attack, potentially pushing Mbappe to a wider position.

Belgium's coach Domenico Tedesco is expected to retain the same lineup that drew against Ukraine in their final group game. Belgium also have no injury or suspension issues.

France vs Belgium Predicted Lineup

France Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Maignan; Kounde, Saliba, Upamecano, Hernandez; Kante, Tchouameni; Dembele, Griezmann, Rabiot; Mbappe

Belgium Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Casteels; Castagne, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate; Tielemans, Onana; Doku, De Bruyne, Trossard; Lukaku

France vs Belgium Match Prediction

Offensively, neither team has been at their best in this tournament, but France have shown more consistency in creating chances. Both sides are likely to employ counter-attacking strategies, making for a tightly contested match.

But with superior quality and experience in their attacking lineup, France might have a slight edge over Belgium.

Predicted Score: France 1-0 Belgium