Monday, July 9, 2018

Fifa World Cup 2018 Belgium vs France live: When and where to watch free


France look to return to the final of the World Cup for the first time since 2006.



Fifa World Cup 2018 : Although the Tour de France cycle race would normally be the focus of French and Belgian sports fans at this time of year, it's a fair bet that Tuesday's World Cup semi-final here will beat the viewing figures of the annual cycle race in the two nations in question.

France look to return to the final of the World Cup for the first time since 2006, while the Belgians look to confirm the promise of their 'golden generation' and reach the final for the first time.

The Belgians have won all five of their matches in Russia, scoring 14 goals and leaving Brazil and Japan by the wayside. In the quarter-final against Brazil, they showed their adaptability and in the last 16, they showed their resilience by fighting back from 0-2 down against the Japanese.

Belgium coach Roberto Martinez has shown that he can make changes to his system, using a 4-3-2-1 for most of the tournament, but adapting to a 4-3-3 to exploit Brazil's weaknesses down the flanks.

Martinez has succeeded where his predecessors failed by making the team greater than the sum of its parts. The Spaniard has shown great tactical pragmatism by setting up his side to suit the characteristics of his best players and exploit the weakness of opponents. This was exemplified in the team's 2-1 quarter-final victory over Brazil, when Kevin de Bruyne was deployed as a false nine while Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard were pulled wide.

It remains to be seen what system he will use against a French side that is rock-solid in midfield. One change forced on Martinez is at right-back where he will have to find a replacement for the suspended Thomas Meunier. The most likely candidate is Celtic's Dedryck Boyata.

Story By BS


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