The second UEFA Nations League semi-final takes place tonight with an aging Belgium team taking on an undetermined France side
Belgium v France will kick-off at 19:45 tonight, Thursday 7th October in the Allianz Arena in Torino, Italy. German referee Daniel Siebert will take charge of the game.
The match will be shown live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin TV Go.
Belgium once again finds themselves ranked number one in the world but with no silverware to prove it. They have shown their quality, winning eight of their last nine games only losing to Italy in the Euro 2020 quarterfinal.
Most of their team has reached and past their peak but they will want youngster Jeremy Doku to provide flair and energy on the week tonight.
This looks like one of the greatest France squads that the country has produced but their mentality looks shaken. After five straight draws in 90 minutes, they finally beat Finland 2-0 in their last World Cup qualifier.
The French players’ ego will still be bruised since losing to Switzerland in Euro 2020 and they will need a victory to boost them.
For two neighbors that share languages, they do not face each other very often competitively. Since 2011, they have played four times, ending twice in draws and each team claiming a victory.
The last crossed blades in the 2018 World Cup semi-final which the French won 1-0 on their way to winning the competition.
When Roberto Martinez took over Belgium in 2016, the team would stay in an airport hotel and borrow training facilities.
Today, he shows @goal the new centre he helped to make a reality 🏡 pic.twitter.com/WOMfZl42d9
— Goal (@goal) October 7, 2021
Belgium v France Probable Starting Teams
Belgium
Formation
3-4-3
Probable Starting 11
Courtois (GK), Vertonghen, Denayer, Alderweireld, Hazard, Tielemans, Witsel, Castagne, Doku, Lukaku, De Bruyne.
Injuries / Suspensions
Meunier (Knee injury)
France
Formation
4-3-1-2
Probable Starting 11
Lloris (GK), Hernández, Kimpembe, Varane, Pavard, Pogba, Tchouméni, Rabiot, Griezmann, Benzema, Mbappé.
Injuries / Suspensions
Martial (Knock)
🗣 "Kylian is happy to be here. We cannot go back in time."
Didier Deschamps insists no problems with Kylian Mbappe despite the player claiming he needed more support from his teammates after missing a crucial penalty that led to France getting knocked out of the Euros pic.twitter.com/HsyIGQfnDH
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 7, 2021
Betting
Belgium 15/8
Draw 2/1
France 6/4
Score Prediction
Both teams are made up of sturdy defenses and world-class attacks. The opposing managers will be trying to cancel each other out but from a neutrals perspective, let’s hope that it is full of goals.
Expect this game to end 3-2 to France.
Remember that Benzema is a pure genius. pic.twitter.com/YEMQnvulCD
— Real Madrid Videos (@RMAVideos) October 5, 2021
To read more in-depth and up-to-date club and international football news, click here.
