We are down to the last four teams of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. One of France and Belgium will play either England or Croatia in the final.
The tournament so far has been characterized by a “Big teams VS the small teams” theme. This is underlined by the elimination of Spain, Germany, Argentina and Brazil.
It is further underlined by the two different sides of the draw. The side of France and Belgium contained the top teams, while the other side contained the underdogs. It has set things up beautifully for a David VS Goliath clash in the final.
Related: Who are the Stars of the 2018 World Cup?
Belgium and France knocked out Brazil and Argentina respectively. Whoever wins their semi final clash will be strong favorites in the final.
However, it wasn’t long ago that we were talking about Belgium as the underdogs. They are a team of undoubted quality that had failed to deliver on the big stage.
No longer. After a 3 – 2 comeback win against Japan in the Round of 16 and a comfortable win against Brazil in the quarterfinals, Belgium can no longer carry the minnow tag.
Their team is packed with Premier League stars, and they should run France close in the semi final on Tuesday.
Paddy Power projects a close game. They have France at 6/4 to win and Belgium at 2/1 to win. You’ll get odds of 21/10 for a draw after normal time.
Both France and Belgium are teams with a world class attack. With Hazard, DeBruyne and Lukaku, Belgium will trouble the France defense.
Equally, France will worry Belgium with Mbappe, Giroud, Griezmann and Pogba. The match may be something of a knife-fight. The eventual winner may be the one who simply outscores the other.
However, in the case of a defensive game, bet on Belgium. The experience and physicality of Kompany, Alderweireld, Fellaini and co. form a stronger defense than France’s.
Either way, it will be a fascinating game, with the winner set to play a tricky final game against an underdog team.
