France vs Belgium prediction and betting tips - July 1, 2024
On Monday, July 1st, another playoff match of the 2024 European Football Championship will take place. Fans can anticipate one of the most enthralling matches as the French national team faces Belgium. The match is set to commence at 18:00 Central European Time. Analysts at Dailysports have prepared a forecast for this encounter.
France
Les Bleus had a rather unconvincing group stage in the European Championship, despite a promising start. In their first match, France secured a narrow victory over Austria, with the only goal being an own goal by an Austrian defender. In the second match against the Netherlands, France was without their star player, Kylian Mbappé. Nonetheless, they played exceptionally well, and the Netherlands were fortunate that France couldn't score, despite having 16 shots towards the goal, with three on target.
According to expected goals, France should have scored 1.33 goals, but the match ended in a 0-0 draw. In the final game, France faced Poland, who had already been eliminated from the Euros. Kylian Mbappé converted a penalty to put France ahead, but later in the match, Lewandowski also scored from the penalty spot, resulting in a 1-1 draw.
Consequently, France lost the top spot in their group to Austria and now have to face a stronger opponent, Belgium, in the Round of 16. Last year, France was swiftly eliminated, losing to Switzerland in a penalty shootout, 3-4. Clearly, the French will be eager to redeem themselves, and to do so, they must overcome Belgium.
Belgium
Belgium also had a less than convincing group stage. In their first match, they suffered a shocking 0-1 defeat to Slovakia, despite creating enough chances to not only salvage the game but win it. However, poor finishing and two disallowed goals for offside and handball by Lukaku let them down. The next match was against Romania, which was crucial for Belgium, and they managed to secure a victory.
The first goal came in the second minute, and De Bruyne sealed the win in the 80th minute. Before the final group match, all the teams in their group had three points each. Belgium played cautiously against Ukraine and managed to secure the needed 0-0 draw.
With four points, Belgium finished second in their group and will now face France. For this generation of Belgian players, this is likely their last chance at a major title, but to win it, they must overcome one of the tournament favorites.
Interesting Facts and Head-to-Head
- France and Belgium last played each other in 2021, with Les Bleus emerging victorious, 3-2.
- France is unbeaten in their last seven matches.
France vs Belgium Prediction
Both France and Belgium did not display their full potential during the group stage, and in the playoffs, such an approach will not suffice. They must immediately switch to a winning mindset. In my opinion, France appears fresher and stronger than Belgium. Therefore, I see France as the favorites and will bet on their victory with odds of 1.88.
