The Euro 2024 knockout stages are here and the most exciting draw of the round of 16, on paper at least, is France vs Belgium on Monday evening.
Despite being favourites to win their respective groups, both France and Belgium finished qualified as runners-up which is why the highest two ranked teams in Europe will go head-to-head this early in the competition.
France have performed far from their best thus far, but they are at least still unbeaten at the tournament. Belgium, meanwhile, have been even poorer and failed to even find the back of the net in two of their three group-stage matches.
With elimination on the line, which side will finally kick into gear and become a force to be reckoned with?
How the bookies view it: France backed to squeeze through
France have been priced as the favourites for this clash but they aren't as short as they perhaps would have been a couple of weeks ago. A France victory inside 90 minutes is priced at 10/11 with BetFred while the same bet on a Belgium victory is priced at 7/2. If you think the match will go into Extra Time, then the draw is 23/10.
Recent head-to-head: Reasons for optimism in both camps
Since 2010, France and Belgium have met on five occasions and Belgium have only come out on top in one of those – a 4-3 win in a friendly back in 2015. The other four matches have been split between French victories and draws.
Interestingly, the overall H2H goes the way of Belgium which dispels the myth that they have only been a force on the international stage since the likes of Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne surfaced in the 2010s.
Players to watch: Superstars ready to explode
Both of these teams are packed with international superstars who have been competing at the highest level for a number of years, now.
Antoine Griezmann is somebody who we should keep an extra close eye on for this match. The Atletico Madrid man is responsible for chance creation in this France team but he has come up short at the tournament so far.
When you consider he was top of the assist charts at the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, and topped the goalscoring at Euro 2016, it's clear that Griezmann has much more to offer than he has shown so far in Germany. This match could be the perfect stage for the ultimate big game player.
For Belgium, there is a feeling that Romelu Lukaku's luck has to turn at some point. The striker has scored three times at Euro 2024 so far. However, all three have subsequently been chalked off by VAR.
Predicted lineups
Didier Deschamps may call upon the services of veteran striker, Olivier Giroud, from the start to try and get Kylian Mbappe back playing off the left, while he will also consider midfield changes.
Belgium boss, Domenico Tedasco, could also call on the service of a veteran in the form of Thomas Meunier. The experienced full-back is training with the squad after arriving late in Germany.
France: Maignan – Kounde, Saliba, Upemacano, Hernandez – Kante, Tchouameni – Dembele, Griezmann, Mbappe – Giroud
Belgium: Casteels – Meunier, Faes, Vertonghen, Theate – Onana, De Bruyne, Tielemans – Doku, Lukaku, Trossard
Anything else catch the eye?
A total of 13 goals have been scored across the last three meetings between France and Belgium, which suggests that this one could be a bit of a goal fest. Although this goes against how the two teams have fared at Euro 2024 so far, there are too many players on the edge of busting into life to back the under 2.5 market. Over 2.5 goals is priced at 5/4 with Betfred.
This Euro 2024 match between France and Belgium will be played on Jul 1, 2024 and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best France vs Belgium prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
