Belgium – France

Belgium and France will clash at the Juventus Stadium in a high-profile Nations League semi-final on Thursday night. Belgium and France are two of Europe’s strongest sides and rock star-studded squads. But that didn’t prove to be enough in this past summer’s European championship. Both sides will be hoping to put that disappointing chapter behind them as they look to book a place in the finals of the UEFA Nations League.

Belgium have showcased good form since crashing out in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 against eventual champions Italy. They thumped Estonia 5-2 before beating Czech Republic 3-0 in the subsequent FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. The Belgian Red Devils followed those wins up with a 1-0 win over Belarus in their latest outing.

Meanwhile, France’s recent form hasn’t been all that encouraging. They suffered a shock exit at the hands of Switzerland in the Euro 2020 Round of 16. Since then, they have settled for back-to-back draws against Bosnia & Herzegovina and Ukraine before pulling off a 2-0 win over Finland in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Both Belgium and France finished on top of their respective groups in the UEFA Nations League. The winner of the game will face either Italy or Spain in the finals. In the last 10 meetings between the two sides, France have won five matches. Belgium have won two and three matches have ended as draws.

This could be an entertaining affair. Both teams have a lot of world-class talent at their disposal and things could open up once a goal is scored on either end. But given their current form and the fact that France are without N’Golo Kante, we think Belgium might edge this.