Belgium look to stun France & reach final

epa06848446 Adnan Januzaj of Belgium (2-L) celebrates with teammates scoring the 1-0 lead during the FIFA World Cup 2018 group G preliminary round soccer match between England and Belgium in Kaliningrad, Russia, 28 June 2018.

by Austin Ditlhobolo

Monday Jul 09, 2018. 13:26

France are set to take on Belgium in the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-final game at the Krestovsky Stadium in Russia on Tuesday.

Kick-off is at 20h00 CAT.

The Blues advanced to this round after defeating South American side Uruguay 2-0 at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Friday.

As a result, France are back in the last four for the first time in 12 years having failed to advance to the semi-finals in the last two World Cup finals.

The Europeans giants will be hoping to reach the final for the third time since the inception of the global tournament in 1930.

Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann are the Blues’ key players and they will look to help the 1998 World Cup winners overcome Belgium.

Meanwhile, Belgium progressed into the semi-finals after defeating five-time World champions Brazil 2-1 at the Kazan Arena on Saturday.

The Red Devils are making their second appearance in the last four. They were beaten 2-0 by Argentina in the semi-finals of the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.

The European side is keen to reach the final for the first time in the history of the global tournament.

Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne are important players in the Red Devils squad and they will be keen to inspire their nation to victory.

In head-to-head stats according to the FIFA.com, France and Belgium have locked horns 73 times.

The Red Devils have won 30 matches compared to the Blues' 24 victories, while 19 games ended in a draw.

Uruguayan match referee Andres Cunha will be in charge of Tuesday’ clash between France and Belgium.