A neighborhood battle for a World Cup final

France v Belgium

St Petersburg stadium, Tuesday, 19h
Live on RTÉ 2 and BBC 1

A bit like the neighbors who rub shoulders to watch matches, the French and the Belgians met on football a little over the years. It will be the 75th meeting, actually. Most of the time, it was friendly, sometimes fun, but when it was most important, at two World Cups and at the Euro 84, it's only been that in a way. Didier Deschamps hopes to extend the winning French race tonight.

The last big meet was in Puebla, Mexico, 32 years ago when they played for the World Cup bronze medals after being beaten in the semifinals. Whatever happens in St. Petersburg tonight, the stakes will certainly be higher.

After both victories, both sides are very confident. Maybe that says something about the Belgians, that when Nacer Chadli and Thomas Vermaelen simultaneously expressed the opinion at the training on Monday that they can go up to the end, someone One of De Standaard felt obliged to note: Of course, the French will feel the same.

Perhaps there is still skepticism at home, as Deschamps said at his pre-game press conference two years ago. But Roberto Martinez's side has made a decent record for himself in recent weeks. Three consecutive group victories were followed by the spectacular late success on Japan where they showed character and had a bit of luck.

This has since been overshadowed by their defeat of a Brazilian team widely considered favorite. And so, with 14 goals already scored, the flaws that afflicted them in key games two and four years ago seem to have been relegated to history.

France, of course, on the strength of its last two games, seems ready to present another huge challenge. The feeling is that after how his selection and approach to the team have helped to provide an edge over the five-time world champions, Martinez has a great role to play again on this occasion.

"All players think that our manager is taking a tactical step forward," says Chadli, of a man who was widely ridiculed as a naïve leaving Everton a few years ago. as a coach of a team generally considered to have the individual matching talents required to win a world title was a surprise.That is the nature of the qualification these days that nobody seemed to be sure of Hired the right man when the team landed in Russia in early June.

By succeeding in defeating a Brazilian defense that had conceded only once until this match, and using Marouane Fellaini to add a physical advantage to the midfielder last Friday, he seems to have persuaded many of those who were sitting on the bench. fenced. This time there will be the rhythm of Kylian Mbappé and the pbadage of Antoine Griezmann and Deschamps has blurred the Belgian tactics during his pre-match press conference as a man who believes that they are not necessarily a great source of concern. Maybe Martinez can keep one length ahead of the inexperienced French side backs, even though they played well up here.

The French coach has the best choice but must decide to bring Blaise Matuidi to Corintin Tolisso now that his suspension is out of the way. His rival must find a way to fill the void left by Thomas Meunier, who is serving a suspension of a match, and retain or not Fellaini in the starting lineup.

Chadli's change from left to right seems the most likely solution The most pressing problem, although it may mean the return of Yannick Carrasco to Mbappé who, given the previous displays of the midfielder Belgian, could open the way to a kind of Waterloo, in which the French forces rank first

Belgium is more inclined to keep and attack, but she knows that this approach may suit her opponents as she did when Argentina tried it and was hit by a succession of quick breaks

with an exquisite break and seemed happy to sit for long periods and wait for their chances against Brazil. So, it's not entirely clear who could race this time.

Anyway, the game has huge potential. And even if there is not much to choose between the teams, the French start as favorites even if the tone of their guardian could suggest the opposite. "When it comes to possession," says Hugo Lloris, "they can beat you with three badists coming in; three penetrating pbades, that's what they've done in Brazil. ask a lot of questions and the answers will have to be collective answers They will be confident We will have to stay together "

Probable teams

France: Lloris; Hernandez, Umtiti, Varane, Pavard; Kante, Pogba; Blaise Mbappé, Griezmann, Matuidi; Giroud
Belgium: Courtois; Vertonghen, Kompany, Alderweireld; Chadli, Witsel, Fellaini, Carrasco; Hazard, Lukaku, De Bruyne
Arbitrator: In Cunha (Uruguay).