Our football match prediction:
France
Match Time & Date:
10/07/2018
19:00 GMT
Prediction: 1-1
Belgium
All eyes will be on Saint-Petersburg Stadium when France take on Belgium in the World Cup semis. France did well to beat Uruguay 2-0 in the quarter-finals, with Antoine Griezmann producing his best performance of the tournament. Les Tricolores made it to the semis without any difficulties, but it has to be noted that la Celeste played without important attacker Edinson Cavani in Friday’s football match. Belgium, on the other hand, outplayed star-studded Brazil to set up a meeting with France and, no doubt, an entertaining clash is on the horizon in Saint-Petersburg. The two teams seem to be evenly matched at the moment and we predict that the game will go into extra-time. A man to watch in Roberto Martinez’s team will be Eden Hazard, who has been producing fine performances at the 2018 FIFA World Cup finals. When the two teams met in a friendly three years ago Belgium recorded a 4-3 win over France.
Highlighted Player (Raphael Varane):
French footballer Raphael Varane is regarded as one of the best defenders in the world. The 191-cm-tall centre back played for Lens in the 2010/2011 season and on 22 June, 2011 he signed a contract with Spanish giants Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho helped him made a great progress during and the French defender established himself as a first-team regular in the 2014/2015 La Liga campaing. Varane won his second Champions League trophy with Real Madrid in 2016 and it has to be noted that he clinched only one La Liga title with los Blancos (2011/2012). Varane is very fast and he is a player with extraordinary aerial ability and the ability to read the game. He often scores after set pieces and it has to be noted that he netted two goals for Real Madrid in all competitions in the 2014/2015 campaign. Varane plays for France national team, but he missed the 2016 European Championship finals through injury.
Highlighted Team (Belgium):
Present on the international stage since 1904, Belgium national team have had plenty of ups and downs in the past, finishing as runners up at the 1980 European Championship in Italy. The Red Devils also won the third place on home soil at the 1972 tournament, while they enjoyed some success at the World Cup finals as well. Belgium qualified for 12 World Cup tournaments, reaching the semi-finals in 1986 and quarter-finals at the 2014 tournament in Brazil. It is the generation that played in Brazil that is believed to be the most talented team since the one featuring Enzo Scifo, Michel Preud’homme and Franky van der Elst. Playing their home games at King Baudouin Stadium, the Red Devils have impressed at the start of the 21st century, with the likes of Eden Hazard, Vincent Kompany, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne just some of the world-class players in the squad. Following some impressive results in the Euro 2016 qualifiers and international friendlies, Belgium climbed to number 1 position in the FIFA Rankings in November 2015.
