There’s no need to argue anymore, France vs Belgium is the most exciting and balanced match among the 8 first-round knockout matches. Unexpected events in the group stage have led to these two teams facing each other early. However, this can be seen as an interesting fate that football brings, and let’s analyze this match in detail.
- France vs Belgium 1st half odds: Under goals (0.5/1); Under corner kicks (4.5)
- France vs Belgium full match odds: Asian handicap (France -0.5), Under goals 2/2.5
France vs Belgium 1st half odds
Despite being considered giants and top contenders for the EURO 2024 championship, both France and Belgium had disappointing group stage campaigns. The French team dropped to second place due to a disappointing draw against Poland, while Belgium had to struggle to secure the second spot after a draw against Ukraine.
Of course, to reach the final match, you have to overcome all opponents, but both teams surely didn’t want to face each other this early. Now both Didier Deschamps and Domenico Tedesco will have to carefully plan for the upcoming journey, solve problems, and quickly improve the ineffective playing style in the group stage.
The French team is facing a very difficult problem in the attack, having scored only 2 goals in 3 group stage matches, with both goals coming from a penalty and an own goal by Wober (Austria), and Les Bleus have not created any open play goals. The impressive defensive foundation will also not make a difference if the team cannot breach the opponent’s defense.
On the other hand, the Belgian Red Devils team is even more troubled by the misfortune of Romelu Lukaku, not only missing many chances but also having 3 goals disallowed by VAR. Meanwhile, Coach Tedesco’s defense also did not perform well, as without luck, they could have conceded a goal against Ukraine.
Facing a strong opponent, both France and Belgium will be cautious from the early minutes. According to EURO betting guide, it is likely that no goals will be scored in the first 45 minutes by both teams, instead, the game will be tightly contested with few attacking opportunities. Perhaps under goals and under corner kicks are both worth considering in the first half of this match.
Prediction for France vs Belgium: Under goals HT, Under corner kicks HT
France vs Belgium full match odds
Based on the playing style of both teams from the beginning of EURO 2024 until now, from the narrow wins and draws of France to the image of Belgium being ready to hold Ukraine, it can be seen that both Deschamps and Tedesco have a somewhat overly cautious approach. It is likely that this will not be a high-scoring match, and France and Belgium may even go into extra time.
Historical evidence also shows that matches between France and Belgium often have few goals, with the most notable match being in the 2018 World Cup semi-final when Les Bleus eliminated the Red Devils with just 1 goal from a corner kick. In addition, 3 out of the last 5 meetings between the two teams ended without more than 1 goal in 90 minutes.
Based on the data from the French vs Belgium experts’ odds and predictions, the focal match of the EURO 2024 round of 16 will be decided by a single moment of stardom, and the team with more trust is Belgium rather than France. Don’t forget that Kylian Mbappe, the number 1 striker of the land of the Gallic rooster, has quenched the thirst for goals at EURO, so this player will be able to relieve a ton of pressure to be ready to shine against Belgium.
The total goals for the whole match given by the bookmakers is only 2/2.5, which also shows the tightness in the playing style of both teams on July 1st. It is highly likely that the audience at the Merkur-Spiel Arena will have to wait quite a long time to witness the net of one of the two teams shaking, so the under goals FT will be a completely viable choice to bring victory to the players.
France vs Belgium odds: France -0.5 FT, Under goals FT
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