France and Belgium go head-to-head in the Clash of the Titans.
In a classic neighborly showdown, France and Belgium clash at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, with both teams eager to advance to the quarterfinals after finishing second in their respective groups.
France
France were held to a 1-1 draw in their final group game against Poland. Les Bleus initially took the lead when Kylian Mbappé converted from the penalty spot in the 56th minute.
However, Robert Lewandowski equalized with a penalty in the 79th minute, resulting in a second-place finish for France in Group D with five points. This sets up a round of sixteen clash against Belgium, a familiar opponent, having faced them 75 times, nearly twice as many as their next most common opponents, Italy and Switzerland.
"They’re a top nation with great players," French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga shared. "Once the group stage is over, it’s in the past. Mentally, they’ll be different. They’re still a side who can surprise you at any moment," he added.
Having been eliminated at this stage in the last edition, Les Bleus are eager to reach the quarterfinals this time around. France have won all four previous encounters against Belgium at major tournaments.
Their only European Championship meeting was in the group stage of Euro 1984, where France secured a 5-0 win. Didier Deschamps is likely to stick with the tried and tested 4-3-3 formation, featuring Marcus Thuram, Kylian Mbappé, and Ousmane Dembélé leading the attack.
Belgium
Belgium, who were favourites to finish as Group E winners, had to settle for a second-place finish after a goalless draw against Ukraine on Match Day 3. The result left all four teams in the group with equal points for the first time in the tournament’s history.
Despite an underwhelming group-stage performance, a superior goal difference over third-placed Slovakia was enough to see the Red Devils through to the round of sixteen. Belgium have reached the quarterfinals in back-to-back European campaigns (2016 & 2020) and will be looking to do so for the third consecutive time when they face France.
"As we are neighbours, this match is always a classic and something special," Belgium’s defender Timothy Castagne said. "They've won the last two matches we've played against them, even though we played well, so we want to win," he added.
After sitting out of the last match through suspension, Dodi Lukebakio could be back in attack alongside Romelu Lukaku and Jérémy Doku in Domenico Tedesco’s 4—3—3 formation.
Team form
Showing the latest five games—giving you a quick look at recent performance trends. Teams in good form tend to do well in the next match.
Team Comparison
Side-by-side assessment of team statistics, including goals, attacks, and more. This allows you to directly compare key performance metrics. Analyzing these stats can reveal patterns and strengths that might influence the outcome.