France will look to put their poor run of form behind them when they take on Belgium in the semi-finals of the Uefa Nations League tonight.
Didier Deschamps’ side suffered a shock exit on penalties to Switzerland in the last 16 of Euro 2020, as Kylian Mbappe missed the vital kick after a thrilling 3-3 draw.
Les Blues have not been convincing since, and dropped points to both Ukraine and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the latest round of World Cup qualifiers, and will be without N’Golo Kante for tonight’s last four match.
Belgium also suffered disappointed at Euro 2020 as their bid to win a first major international honour was ended by eventual champions Italy. Roberto Martinez’s side cruised to dominant wins over Czech Republic, Estonia and Belarus in September.
Here’s all you need to know before the semi-final this evening.
When is Belgium vs France?
The match will kick off at 7:45pm BST on Thursday 7 October and will be played at the Juventus Stadium in Turin.
How can I watch it?
It will be shown live on Sky Sports Football, with coverage starting at 7:30pm. If you’re not a Sky customer you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content.
What was the team news?
Belgium are without attackers Dries Mertens and Jeremy Doku and defender Thomas Vermaelen from their Euro 2020 squad but the rest of the old guard returns for manager Roberto Martinez. Eden Hazard has yet to play 90 minutes this season for Real Madrid but has featured in their last five matches as he looks to build up his fitness.
France will be without N’Golo Kante due to the Chelsea midfielder’s positive Covid-19 test, and Deschamps has three fresh faces in Aurelien Tchouameni, Jordan Veretout and former Arsenal man Matteo Guendouzi as possible replacements to start alongside Paul Pogba, as well as Adrien Rabiot. Karim Benzema remains in the squad and has been in brilliant goalscoring form this season for Real Madrid. Corentin Tolisso and Thomas Lemar have not been included.
Confirmed line-ups
Belgium: Courtois; Alderweireld, Denayer, Vertonghen; Castagne, Witsel, Tielemans, Carrasco; Hazard, Lukaku, De Bruyne.
France: Lloris; Kounde, Varane, Lucas Hernandez; Pavard, Rabiot, Pogba, Theo Hernandez; Griezmann, Benzema, Mbappe.
Odds
Belgium: 21/10
Draw: 11/5
France: 11/8
Prediction
This could go either way as both teams have so much quality, but Belgium’s system looked significantly more convincing than France’s during the Euros and that gives them the edge in what should be a close match. Belgium 1-0 France
