Match Previews
World Cup 2018
Round 1/2 Final
France
Last updated: Wed 11 July 2018 11:27France beat Uruguay last time out. Have won four of five games in Russia. Mendy, Pavard, Umtiti, Mbappe and Kante will all be fit. Matuidi is available again.
France moved though to the semi-finals of the World Cup thanks to a 2-0 victory over Uruguay on Friday and are now braced for an encounter against Belgium. Goals from Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann helped Didier Deschamps’ side to a victory, in which they were comfortable against opponents who had won their previous seven.
Les Bleus were extremely solid defensively against Uruguay, giving up only one clear opportunity and seeing the game out impressively once they were ahead.
They have won four of their five matches at Russia 2018 thus far, with the one exception coming against Denmark, when they were held to a 0-0 draw, although both teams utilised weakened sides in that match.
Benjamin Mendy was unavailable on Friday due to injury, however he trained on Monday and was given the all clear to play. Lucas Hernandez has been the first-choice left-back throughout this competition in any case.
Blaise Matuidi can return to the fold after serving a one-match suspension. He will likely start on the left of midfield in a 4-2-3-1 system, though Deschamps has shown a willingness to change in the recent past and has only in this competition decided that is his optimum formation.
Laurent Koscielny did not travel to Russia due to serious injury, though France have conceded only a couple of goals thus far.
Varane has revealed that Samuel Umtiti had "a little trouble" after the Uruguay game but says the Barcelona defender will be "fine" for the semi-final.
Deschamps confirmed the news about Umtiti and said that although Kylian Mbappe, Ngolo Kante and Benjamin Pavard all missed Monday's training session in St Petersburg, all will be available to feature.
France have not won any of their last three meetings against Belgium, going down 4-3 in Paris when they most recently met in a 2015 friendly. They have won both previous World Cup matches, though the latest of these was in 1986, when they needed penalties to win through.
Belgium
Last updated: Wed 11 July 2018 11:27Changed the system for the quarterfinals and all worked really well, bringing them famous win against the tournament-favourites. Don’t have right-back available as T. Meunier is suspended. N. Chadli shrugged off a problem quickly.
Bold and successful experiment with the line-up for the quarterfinal clash vs. Brazil saw Belgium making the most of the early chances they created. After taking fortunate two-goal lead inside half an hour they simply tightened up at the back for the rest of the match and with a bit of luck and crucial saves from Courtois beat the tournament-favourites 2:1.
De Bruyne enjoyed playing as a false nine, while Fellaini and Witsel were extremely good in the heart of the midfield, where their height and physicality made them dominant figures. Lukaku also played very well as a right winger, although after the break he spent plenty of time in his natural role as a centre forward.
Coach Martinez is very likely to stick to the tactics and formation used against Brazil to such good effect, but he will have to make changes to his line-up as the only typical right-back in the squad Mounier is suspended. Vermaelen, Thorgan Hazard or Carrasco are all potential replacements, but none of them is natural in the role.
Chadli picked up a minor muscle strain in the quarterfinal, but he was passed fit on time.
De Bruyne could be placed to play off the shoulder of Hazard and Lukaku, a tactic tested by the manager in the last training session before the game.
Only for the second time in the country’s history the Red Devils reach the semi-finals, the first time this happened was way back in 1986. Belgium have never played in a major tournament final.
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4-2-3-1 Previous Line Ups
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| H. Lloris | |||
| B. Pavard | |||
| R. Varane | |||
| S. Umtiti | |||
| L. F. B. Hernandez | |||
| P. Pogba | |||
| N. Kante | |||
| K. Mbappe | |||
| A. Griezmann | |||
| B. Matuidi | |||
| O. Giroud |
3-4-1-2 Previous Line Ups
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| T. Courtois | |||
| T. Alderweireld | |||
| V. Kompany | |||
| J. Vertonghen | |||
| N. Chadli | |||
| A. Witsel | |||
| M. Fellaini | |||
| Y. Carrasco | |||
| K. de Bruyne | |||
| R. Lukaku | |||
| E. Hazard |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Mandanda | |||
| A. Areola | |||
| D. Sidibe | |||
| P. Kimpembe | |||
| A. Rami | |||
| B. Mendy | |||
| T. Lemar | |||
| S. N'Zonzi | |||
| C. Tolisso | |||
| N. Fekir | |||
| F. Thauvin | |||
| O. Dembele |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Mignolet | |||
| K. Casteels | |||
| D. Boyata | |||
| T. Vermaelen | |||
| L. Dendoncker | |||
| A. Januzaj | |||
| M. Dembele | |||
| Y. Tielemans | |||
| T. Hazard | |||
| D. Mertens | |||
| M. Batshuayi |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| H. Lloris | |||
| B. Pavard | |||
| R. Varane | |||
| S. Umtiti | |||
| L. F. B. Hernandez | |||
| P. Pogba | |||
| N. Kante | |||
| K. Mbappe | |||
| A. Griezmann | |||
| B. Matuidi | |||
| O. Giroud |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Mandanda | |||
| A. Areola | |||
| D. Sidibe | |||
| P. Kimpembe | |||
| A. Rami | |||
| B. Mendy | |||
| T. Lemar | |||
| S. N'Zonzi | |||
| C. Tolisso | |||
| N. Fekir | |||
| F. Thauvin | |||
| O. Dembele |
Belgium
Last updated: Wed 11 July 2018 11:27Changed the system for the quarterfinals and all worked really well, bringing them famous win against the tournament-favourites. Don’t have right-back available as T. Meunier is suspended. N. Chadli shrugged off a problem quickly.
Bold and successful experiment with the line-up for the quarterfinal clash vs. Brazil saw Belgium making the most of the early chances they created. After taking fortunate two-goal lead inside half an hour they simply tightened up at the back for the rest of the match and with a bit of luck and crucial saves from Courtois beat the tournament-favourites 2:1.
De Bruyne enjoyed playing as a false nine, while Fellaini and Witsel were extremely good in the heart of the midfield, where their height and physicality made them dominant figures. Lukaku also played very well as a right winger, although after the break he spent plenty of time in his natural role as a centre forward.
Coach Martinez is very likely to stick to the tactics and formation used against Brazil to such good effect, but he will have to make changes to his line-up as the only typical right-back in the squad Mounier is suspended. Vermaelen, Thorgan Hazard or Carrasco are all potential replacements, but none of them is natural in the role.
Chadli picked up a minor muscle strain in the quarterfinal, but he was passed fit on time.
De Bruyne could be placed to play off the shoulder of Hazard and Lukaku, a tactic tested by the manager in the last training session before the game.
Only for the second time in the country’s history the Red Devils reach the semi-finals, the first time this happened was way back in 1986. Belgium have never played in a major tournament final.
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| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| T. Courtois | |||
| T. Alderweireld | |||
| V. Kompany | |||
| J. Vertonghen | |||
| N. Chadli | |||
| A. Witsel | |||
| M. Fellaini | |||
| Y. Carrasco | |||
| K. de Bruyne | |||
| R. Lukaku | |||
| E. Hazard |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Mignolet | |||
| K. Casteels | |||
| D. Boyata | |||
| T. Vermaelen | |||
| L. Dendoncker | |||
| A. Januzaj | |||
| M. Dembele | |||
| Y. Tielemans | |||
| T. Hazard | |||
| D. Mertens | |||
| M. Batshuayi |