July the 10th, mark this date as you are gonna see the clash of titans meeting at the semi finals on the grandest stage of them all. The golden generation of Belgium football take on France. This is the clash everyone has been waiting for for so long.
Let's get into the teams and key players of both the teams.
BELGIUM
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Belgium has reached the World Cup semi finals for the first time since 1986 and this squad is what the pundits call it as the golden generation of Belgium football. They stunned the five time World Champions winning the match comfortably in the end. They have won 5 matches in a row now in this tournament and overall they are unbeaten in the last 24 matches. They haven't tasted the defeat since two years now and they will surely be high on confidence heading into this encounter.
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The three men in reds appearing in the above picture are the key players for Belgium. Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard are among the best players going around and all the hopes of Belgium will rest on their shoulders.
Romelu Lukaku scored 4 goals in the first two matches but hasn't been able to net one after that but he has the ability to strike at any time of the game and will be a player to watch out for.
Kevin de Bruyne is one the best central midfielders of the game and he has shown his classic passing skills in this tournament and he was involved in the deciding goal against the mighty Brazil and therefore he will be the key for this match.
Eden Hazard is the best player to come out of Belgium and he needs no introduction. He provided the cross for Fellaini's equaliser against Japan and has been involved in many goals in this tournament. He is the most valuable player for Belgium at the moment.
The team form looks great as they haven't lost a match since August 2016. They have played 24 matches without a loss and won five straight matches in this World Cup.
FRANCE
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Matuidi will be back in the starting 11 after suffering a one match suspension and he will be replacing Tolliso in the midfield. France have no injury concerns and are likely not to tinker with their winning playing 11. France defeated Uruguay 2-0 thanks to Raphael Varane and Antoine Griezmann goals.
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The three men Griezmann, Mbappe and Pogba in the above picture will be their key players for the semi finals.
Griezmann has been in the finest of the forms lately and scored many times in this World Cup. He is one of the best forwards in the game and he will be the key for France if they have to make it to the finals.
Mbappe has scored three goals in this tournament out of which 2 came against Argentina. He has been in golden touch and a definitely one for the future.
Pogba started badly in the first few encounters but has stamped his authority in the last couple of matches. The midfielder will be itching to get his name written in the scoring list.
They have drawn against Denmark and won all the other matches in this World Cup. They have last lost a match in March and are unbeaten sibce then.
PREDICTION
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This match will be a thriller for sure and I guess Belgium will have a little edge over France so my prediction will be 2-1 to Belgium.
Let me know your thoughts as well.
This was originally posted on my sports blog Scorum.com.
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