France and Belgium have met over 70 times, but the stakes were never as high as they are on Tuesday. The Red Devils and Les Bleus are competing for a spot in the World Cup final, and both teams are bringing world-class attacking talent to the match. France are favored, but Belgium could make several changes that could tip the scales. France vs. Belgium Squads First, let’s cover the suspensions. Blaise Matuidi was suspended for France’s 2-0 quarterfinal win over Uruguay, but he is expected to return to the lineup. He’ll rejoin the French midfield with NGolo Kante and Paul Pogba, who have been the best unit in the tournament. Belgium will be without Thomas Meunier for the first time in the tournament, as the PSG midfield has also picked up a suspension. Meunier has been effective for Belgium, but hasn’t shown the flash and talent that make him successful in France. In his place expect Nacer Chadli or Yannick Carrasco in the midfield. The biggest decision for these lineups come from Belgium coach Roberto Martinez. The former Everton boss used a four-man back line against Brazil after using a three-man defense for the previous four matches. It’s unknown how Martinez will set up his squad against France, who present a similar defensive challenge. For the die-hard France fans, there’s one twist that makes this semifinal convincing. France legend Thierry Henry, who scored three goals as a 20-year old when France won it all in 1998, is now an assistant coach on the Belgian sideline. In their most recent action, Belgium defeated France in a wild 4-3 friendly in 2015. France keeper Hugo Lloris, a Golden Glove candidate in Russia, had nothing but positive things to say about the Belgium squad. “I think the Belgian team is the most exhaustive team in all aspects of the game during this tournament – they are strong everywhere,” Lloris told reporters earlier this week. “They have everything they need to be a great team and they are a great team. It is a fantastic generation and in order to beat them we will have to play a great match. We know there are going to be difficult moments, and we’ll have to be ready to suffer. But we will be ready because we have an extremely good state of mind, and it is the semi-finals in the World Cup. It is an opportunity in our careers and we have to grab it with both hands.” With so many technically skilled players on both sides, expect a physical match. Yellow card accumulation resets in the semifinals, so players will no longer be playing in fear of being suspended for their next match. This is the 74th meeting between these teams, but it’s mostly been through friendlies between neighboring nations. The last time they met in a World Cup was 1986, when France defeated Belgium in the third-place game in Mexico. France vs. Belgium Lineups Lineups are released one hour before kickoff Belgium: Courtois, Alderweireld, Kompany, Vertonghen, Chadli, Fellaini, Dembele, Witsel, De Bruyne, Hazard, Lukaku France: Lloris, Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Lucas, Pogba, Kanté, Matuidi, Mbappé, Giroud, Griezmann.<doc-sep>France and Belgium will be vying for a place in the FIFA World Cup 2018 final when they meet at the Krestovsky Stadium for their semi-final tie on Tuesday The quarter-finals are all done and dusted, meaning just four matches remain before the 2018 FIFA World Cup comes to an end. The first of the semi-finals will pit European heavyweights against each other, as France and Belgium meet at the Krestovsky Stadium in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday. France have been steadily finding their best form over the course of their FIFA World Cup 2018 campaign. Les Bleus were hardly impressive during the group stage. But, qualification to the knockout rounds seems to have turned on a switch. Didier Deschamps’ men impressed with their comeback win over Argentina in the Round of 16 before clinically disposing off Uruguay in the quarter-finals. Belgium, on the other hand, have been one of the most consistent sides in Russia. The Red Devils were largely untroubled in the group stage. But, Roberto Martinez’s men have shown a lot of determination and character in the knockout rounds. Their comeback win over Japan in the Round of 16 was stirring before narrowly beating Brazil in the quarter-finals. The two sides last faced each other in 2015, when Belgium had edged out France in a 4-3 win. Ahead of their latest meeting on Tuesday, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the semi-final encounter. Team News & Tactics France Didier Deschamps has no major roster issues to deal with ahead of the semi-final tie. The France boss should thus, have his entire squad at his disposal on Tuesday, with Blaise Matuidi now available after serving a one-match suspension against Uruguay, although Djibril Sidibe is a minor doubt. Whether Matuidi returns to the side straightaway remains to be seen, especially with Corentin Tolisso performing admirably against Uruguay. The rest of the side needs no changing anyway, with the forward line, comprising of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud, starting to get in its stride. In midfield, N’Golo Kante has been colossal thus far, and will need to continue in the same mould on Tuesday to stop a marauding Kevin De Bruyne. Paul Pogba will be key as well, with his ability to link up play as well as spray the ball from midfield. At the back, Raphael Varane and Samuel Umtiti have finally grown accustomed to their partnership, while Lucas Hernandez has been the most consistent defender. But, the star man has been Benjamin Pavard, who will look to keep an in-form Eden Hazard quiet on Tuesday. Probable Starting Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Pavard, Varane, Umtiti, Lucas Hernandez; Pogba, Kante; Mbappe, Griezmann, Tolisso; Giroud Belgium Roberto Martinez has a major headache ahead of the game against France, with Thomas Meunier set to miss out the semi-final tie. With no natural replacement in his squad, the Belgium manager will have to bank on the duo of Nacer Chadli and Yannick Carrasco to be his wing-backs. The returning Carrasco should start on the left flank, with Chadli being deployed on the opposite flank. For Chadli, in particular, FIFA World Cup 2018 has been a redeeming tournament for him, after copping a lot of flak upon his selection in Belgium’s final squad. The West Bromwich Albion man will look to be influential once again with his marauding runs down the right flank. Another player who has enjoyed a stellar FIFA World Cup 2018 campaign is Marouane Fellaini. The Manchester United man has become a key figure in midfield, having showed some impressive defensive acumen while always being an outlet in the final third whenever the crosses flow in. The star quantities for the Red Devils though, will be their fluid front trio of Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku. While Hazard and De Bruyne will largely have free roles in the final third, Lukaku will look to stretch the defensive line in order to create space for his attacking partners to exploit and possibly find scoring opportunities. The back-three of Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany and Toby Alderweireld were at their most impressive thus far against Brazil. A similar performance against France could set Belgium on the path to their first ever World Cup final. Thibaut Courtois will be crucial as well, with his shot stopping abilities, something that frustrated Brazil to no end last week. Probable Starting Lineup (3-4-2-1): Courtois; Alderweireld, Kompany, Vertonghen; Chadli, Fellaini, Witsel, Carrasco; De Bruyne, Hazard; Lukaku Key Stats The semi-final on Tuesday will be the 74th meeting between France and Belgium. The Red Devils hold the edge in the head-to-head record with 30 wins to Les Bleus’ 24 (19 draws). The last time when both France and Belgium reached the FIFA World Cup semi-final in the same edition was in 1986. Both were losing semi-finalists then, but France prevailed over Belgium in the third-place playoff – the last meeting at the World Cup between the two sides. The last time Belgium lost a match was in August, 2016. Since then, the Red Devils have gone unbeaten for 24 games in a row – the longest such run among the teams remaining at the World Cup. France have kept three clean sheets in their last four matches – Argentina are the only team to score from open play against them at this World Cup. Player To Watch Marouane Fellaini A player who wasn’t really in Roberto Martinez’s plans as a starter for the World Cup. Marouane Fellaini has made one of the midfield spots his own since his game changing performance against Japan last week. The outing against Brazil though, has to rank as one of his best in national colours so far, if not the best. Against Brazil, his defensive abilities came to the fore, and he will need to keep Antoine Griezmann quiet in similar fashion on Tuesday if France are to be eliminated. On the other end of the pitch, he will remain a major threat, and one can safely say Fellaini’s role will be one of the most crucial ones on Tuesday. Prediction France 1-2 Belgium Just four teams remain at FIFA World Cup 2018. On Tuesday, the count will be whittled down to three when two heavyweights of the game clash in Saint Petersburg. France and Belgium have eliminated South America’s three biggest nations, and confidence is sure to be running high in both camps. On paper, both sides look evenly matched, and it is hard to separate them on form as well. This is a game that should go right down the wire, but the fluid front-three of Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard gives Belgium the slightest of edges. The Red Devils have also shown that, unlike their last two major international tournaments, the big matches do not faze them. While France will be their toughest challenge yet, we predict Belgium to win by the odd goal on Tuesday and create history by reaching their first ever World Cup final.<doc-sep>And then, there were eight. The elite eight, as another famous tournament likes to call the quarterfinals. By the end of the weekend, there will only be four. Uruguay vs. France; Brazil vs. Belgium; Sweden vs. England; Russia vs. Croatia Some big names in there. Some surprising ones. Croatia probably the dark horse at this point. The winner of Brazil vs. Belgium likely the favorites to win it all. But first, it’s the first ever World Champions and twice-winners Uruguay versus twice-finalists (one win, one loss) France, who certainly remain one of the favorites. As long as N’Golo Kanté remains N’Golo Kanté, they have a chance. Uruguay meanwhile are sweating the fitness of footballing angel Edinson Cavani. Here we go. Uruguay starting lineup (4<4>2): Muslera | Laxalt, Godín, Giménez, Cáceres | Vecino, Bentancur, Torreira, Nández | Sutani, Suárez Substitutes from: Varela, Sánchez, Rodríguez, De Arrascaeta, Campaña, G.Silva, Pereira, Gómez, Coates, Urrataviscaya, M.Silva France starting lineup (4-2-3-1): LLoris | Hernández, Umtiti, Varane, Pavard | Kanté, Pogba | Tolisso, Griezmann, Mbappé | Giroud Substitutes from: Kimpembe, Lemar, Dembélé, N’Zonzi, Mandanda, Rami, Fekir, Sidibé, Thauvin, Mendy, Areola Date / Time: Friday, July 6, 2018, 15:00 BST; 10am EDT Venue: Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod Referee: Néstor Pitana (Argentina) On TV: BBC One (UK); Fox Sports 1, Telemundo (USA); elsewhere Streaming online: BBC iPlayer (UK); FOX Sports Go, Telemundo Deportes En Vivo; Sling World Cup (USA)<doc-sep>
talkSPORT looks ahead to the first semi-final clash on Tuesday night Somehow we’re already into the World Cup semi-finals and tonight you can hear France vs Belgium live on talkSPORT. The European neighbours must go head-to-head in Saint Petersburg as they bid to reach the final of the tournament on Saturday. 6 Belgium players celebrate during their victory over Brazil in the World Cup quarter-finals. It promises to be a real treat for fans and neutrals with both sides possessing lethal attacks, and solid defences. But something has got to give at this stage of the World Cup and you can hear what promises to be an exciting encounter live on talkSPORT at 7pm. What the managers are saying Didier Deschamps (France): “The potential is there, the individual quality is there, this side is younger than the side that was in the final of Euro 2016 but they have a lot of club experience at a high level. “We will be more competitive. In two and four years, we have a lot of players who will still be here with us. There is potential for progression and this experience here should help them.” 6 France manager Didier Deschamps captained his nation to glory as a player in 1998. Roberto Martinez (Belgium): “It’s been two years to try and understand these footballers, the human beings behind the footballers, and to try and get a group that shared the same ambition, not just to use the national team to improve their brand. “We’ve strived to be as good as we could be at international level and it’s taken us two years to get there. But there haven’t been one or two secrets to make it work, it’s been common sense. “It’s a group of people who share a vision of making Belgian football proud and achieving something important and these players have done that.” 6 Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez impressed with his tactical switch against Brazil. What the players are saying Hugo Lloris (France): “They are an exhaustive team, they know how to do everything. “I think the Belgian team is the most exhaustive team in all aspects of the game during this tournament – they are strong everywhere. “They have everything they need to be a great team and they are a great team. It is a fantastic generation and in order to beat them we will have to play a great match. “We know there are going to be difficult moments and we’ll have to be ready to suffer. “But we will be ready because we have an extremely good state of mind and it is the semi-finals in the World Cup. It is an opportunity in our careers and we have to grab it with both hands.” 6 France star Hugo Lloris made a vital save to keep Uruguay at bay in the quarter-finals. Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium): “I said before the tournament that we were coming here to win it. It was not with arrogance that I said that back then. “I think Belgium has a good team and plenty of other teams came here wanting to win the competition. “You have to show ambition otherwise you can’t win. That’s the attitude we are going into the match with.” 6 Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne was in brilliant form in a freer role against Brazil, scoring their second goal of the game. How can I listen? Click here to listen to our live commentary of the action as it happens on talkSPORT. Team news Blaise Matuidi returns from suspension for France and is likely to start in place of Corentin Tolisso, while Olivier Giroud will continue up top. For the Belgians, Roberto Martinez is likely to return to his favoured 3-4-2-1 but right wing-back Thomas Meunier’s suspension means a reshuffle is needed and could lead to several alterations, with either Nacer Chadli replacing him, or Martinez keeping the 4-3-2-1 which worked so well against Brazil. 6 Belgium right wing-back Thomas Meunier will miss the semi-final through suspension. Predicted teams France: Hugo Lloris; Lucas Hernandez, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane, Benjamin Pavard; N’Golo Kante, Paul Pogba; Blaise Matuidi, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe; Olivier Giroud. Belgium: Thibaut Courtois; Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany, Toby Alderweireld; Yannick Carrasco, Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne, Nacer Chadli; Dries Mertens, Eden Hazard; Romelu Lukaku​.