FIFA WC: France to face Belgium for final spot

France will look to book their place in the finals of the ongoing 21st edition of FIFA World Cup when they collide with Croatia in their last-four here at St. Petersburg Stadium on Tuesday.

France have experienced a dream run in the World Cup so far as they have not lost a single match during the tournament.

The one-time champion finished first in Group C and subsequently defeated Argentina (4-3) and Uruguay (2-0) to set up a semi-final clash against Belgium.

Belgium, on the other hand, remained dominating throughout the tournament, having beaten most of their opponents with huge goal-margin.

Finishing on top of the Group H, they edged past Japan 3-2 in the round-of-16 before thrashing one of the tournament favorites Brazil 2-1 to enter the semi-final stage.

Belgium, however, hold a better head-to-head record against France as they won 30 matches out of 73 clashes the two teams have played so far. While France won 24 matches, 19 matches between the two sides resulted in a draw.

In the World Cup, the two teams met twice and France emerged victorious both the times.

Meanwhile, England will take on Croatia in the second semi-final clash which will be held on July 11.

On a related note, the France and Belgium squads are as follow:

France

Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris, Steve Mandanda, Alphonse Areola

Defenders: Djibril Sidibe, Benjamin Pavard, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane, Presnel Kimpembe, Adil Rami, Benjamin Mendy, Lucas Hernandez

Midfielders: Paul Pogba, Corentin Tolisso, Blaise Matuidi, Ngolo Kante, Steven Nzonzi

Forwards: Antoine Griezmann, Olivier Giroud, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Florian Thauvin, Nabil Fekir, Thomas Lemar

Belgium:

Goalkeepers: Koen Casteels, Thibaut Courtois, Simon Mignolet

Defenders: Toby Alderweireld, Dedryck Boyata, Laurent Ciman, Leander Dendoncker, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Jan Vertonghen

Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco, Nacer Chadli, Kevin De Bruyne, Mousa Dembele, Marouane Fellaini, Adnan Januzaj, Youri Tielemans, Axel Witsel, Thomas Meunier

Forwards: Michy Batshuayi, Eden Hazard, Thorgan Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Dries Mertens.