France vs Belgium
Belgium are aiming to win this year’s UEFA Nations League in order to consolidate their rebuild under Domenico Tedesco.
So far, they’re off to a good start, winning their opener against Israel with a score of 3-1 last night. With the victory, the Red Devils are on top of League A Group 2 with Italy.
France, on the other hand, suffered a 3-1 defeat against Italy to join Israel at the bottom of their group, so they will be looking for some home comfort when they host Belgium at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais on Monday night before they hit the road.
The SBOTOP UEFA Nations League 2024 odds expect another tight matchup between France and Belgium, and fans in Lyon are in for a huge treat since both teams are capable of putting up UEFA Nations League 2024 highlights.
Talking Points
France aren’t having fun
Head coach Didier Deschamps is under enormous pressure, as France have been truly awful to watch in the last few months.
France have been far from clinical in the final third, as they didn’t score a goal from open play up until Randal Kolo Muani found the back of the net for Les Bleus in the Euro 2024 semis against eventual winners Spain.
Against Italy, it looked like France were about to break out when Bradley Barcola stole the ball from Giovanni Di Lorenzo to strike his side ahead just 13 seconds for his first senior goal.
However, disaster struck for Les Bleus, as the Azzurri scored three goals in 44 minutes, courtesy of Federico Dimarco, Davide Frattesi, and Giacomo Raspadori.
Italy’s blitz also exposed France’s backline, as Ibrahima Konate and William Saliba struggled to slow down Mateo Retegui for large parts of the match. These two centre-backs need to tighten up against the Red Devils on Monday.
It also doesn’t help France that Kylian Mbappe’s performances have been up-and-down. After finding the back of the net in his first appearance in Real Madrid uniform to win the UEFA Super Cup, the former PSG forward didn’t register a single goal or assist in his first three La Liga matches.
Mbappe then recorded a brace in Los Blancos’ 2-0 victory against Real Betis, but his form didn’t carry over against Italy, it seems.
If Didier Deschamps plans to tweak his starting XI, he has Warren Zaire-Emery, Jules Kounde, Marcus Thuram, Ousmane Dembele, and Manu Kone as potential candidates.
De Bruyne looking spry for Belgium
Before the beginning of this year’s UEFA Nations League, Kevin De Bruyne had complained about the jam-packed football schedule and left his future with Belgium uncertain after the Euros.
However, most recently, the Manchester City midfielder renewed his commitment to the national team, and he was the driving force last night against Israel.
Kevin De Bruyne drew first blood for the Red Devils after 21 minutes before Timothy Castagne scored an own goal 15 minutes later. The 33-year-old restored order in the second half by converting a penalty before Youri Tielemans extended their advantage to two goals.
Other than their midfield, Belgium have an exciting frontline that consists of Jeremy Doku, Lois Openda, Romelu Lukaku, and Johan Bakayoko.
History
France and Belgium have had so many battles in Europe over the past few decades. All in all, they’ve competed in 76 matches across all competitions so far. Belgium have the slight edge in the head-to-heads with 30 wins, while France have 27 victories and 19 draws.
Les Bleus hold a three-game winning streak over the Red Devils with an aggregate tally of 5-2.
France eliminated Belgium in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals by one goal and eventually won it all. They also defeated the Red Devils in the semi-finals of the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League, which they also won, and they won their most recent matchup during the Euro 2024 Round of 16.
Belgium’s last win over France was a 4-3 result during an International Friendly in June 2015.
Romelu Lukaku will reach his 120th cap for Belgium on Monday. The Napoli striker is the national team’s all-time leading scorer with 85 goals and counting.
Kylian Mbappe, on the other hand, will reach the 50-goal threshold for France if he breaks out of his slump and scores twice this international break. Right now, he is 10 goals away from surpassing Olivier Giroud in Les Bleus’ all-time scoring list.
Meanwhile, Antoine Griezmann (135) can tie Olivier Giroud (137) for joint-third in Les Bleus’ all-time caps list this international break. The Atletico Madrid star is 11 caps away from being on top of the pack.
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