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FIFA World Cup Preview – Day 23

Posted by FC Halifax Town
Posted on Fri 6 Jul 2018
Posted in News

Match 1: Uruguay v France

Uruguay have been in fine form all tournament long. They’ve won all four of their games so far, knocking out Portugal in the Round of 16 so they certainly won’t fear their opponents today. Uruguay have made it to the semi-finals on five occasions and won the World Cup twice.

However, Edinson Cavani limped off during their last match and it is highly unlikely he will feature against France which is a huge blow for Uruguay, as heย has scored three of their seven goals.

France have been criticised for looking lethargic but they certainly moved through the gears when it mattered. They’ve won three of their four games and even knocked Argentina out in a seven goal thriller.

One man who is in fine form is barely even a man. Teenager, Kylian Mbappe, bagged a brace against Messi and co so the Uruguayans must keep a close eye on him. Blaise Matuidi is suspended for Les Blues and will likely be replaced by Corentin Tolisso.

Unfortunately for France, history is not on their side. They have never beaten Uruguay at the FIFA World cup, and theyย lost 1-0 to a Luis Suarez goal the last time they met.

ITV will be showing the game and build up will start at 2:30pm.

Match 2: Brazil v Belgium

In terms of star names, this is a mouth watering clash. Neymar, Coutinho, De Bruyne and Lukaku will all be on show, live on the BBC at 7pm.

The five-time World Cup winners started the tournament with a mediocre draw against Switzerland, but they’ve gotten better as the competition has gone along. With world stars like Neymar and Coutinho, the Brazilians are high in confidence and are still the favourites to win the World Cup.

Brazilย manager, Tite, confirmed that Marcelo will return to the starting eleven after missing the Round of 16 match due to a back injury. There’s even more good news for Brazil too. They’ve never lost to Belgium in a World Cup. The only time they met was in 2002 when Brazil won 2-0 and went on to win the entire tournament.

Belgium are currently averaging three goals a game so far and they’ll certainly need a couple todayย if they are to reach the semi-final. This is undoubtedly the best team Belgium has ever had and their manager, Roberto Martinez, has said their is “something special” about his squad.

It is expected that Belgium will start the same eleven that started against Japan, despite goals from substitutes Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli rescuing them a victory.

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