FRANCE v BELGIUM
Live on BBC 1. Tuesday July 10, kick-off 7pm
BELGIUM'S win over tournament favourites Brazil in the last round made the world sit up and take notice and we now have a mouthwatering semi-final.
The Belgians have served up plenty of thrills with an epic 3-2 slaying of Japan from 2-0 down followed by the Brazil victory where their attacking weapons dazzled.
However, they rode their luck at times in that game and had to survive a late barrage where missed chances let them off the hook.
For all their prowess going forward, doubts remain over their defensive capabilities – a fact shown by Japan scoring two against them – and their cause isn't helped by the absence of right wing-back Thomas Meunier due to suspension for this one.
It's a reshuffle Roberto Martinez could well do without against a French frontline packed with pace and quality.
France haven't had to get out of second gear on their route to the semis but impressed in patches against Argentina and were calm and controlled in knocking out Uruguay.
They have a balanced team that look the part and the likes of Antoine Griezmann and wonderkid Kylian Mbappe can exploit Belgium's weaknesses at the back to reach the final.
Belgian midfielder Kevin de Bruyne is set to stay in the advanced role where he wreaked havoc against Brazil and is a decent shout for a goal. He netted a cracker for his team's second against the Selecao and looks too big at 16-1 with 10bet, with other firms generally having him at 10s.
Super Single
- Both teams to score (5-6, Betfair)
First Scorer
- De Bruyne (16-1, 10bet)
Bonkers Bet
- France 2, Belgium 1 (10-1, BetStars)
Bet Builder
- France to qualify
- Over 2 goals
- Under 5 cards
- (9-2, bet365)
World Cup 2022 Coverage
- What's coming up? View a list of upcoming World Cup Fixtures.
- Missed a match? Check out our World Cup Results for all the latest full-time goals.
- Think you know who will win outright? Then View our World Cup Odds comparison tables from top UK bookmakers.
- Betting Offer: We have collected world cup betting offers all in one place so you don't have to.
- Group by Group Betting Tips; Group A, Group B, Group C, Group D, Group E, Group F, Group G, Group H.
- World Cup Betting Tips; Golden Boot, Golden Glove, Group Stage Acca, Dark Horses and Outright Winners
- Highbet: Sportsbook and online casino with 30+ sports, 100's of betting markets and competitive betting odds.
