One time favourites to win Euro 2024, France, could only finish second in their group, and due to that, face a much tougher route to the final, on the harder side of the draw. Belgium suffered exactly the same fate, and they're now pitched up against each other on Monday, in what promises to be an exciting last 16 clash.
France Form GuideI don't think we've seen anything close to the best of France yet. Obviously rocked by the injury to Kylian Mbappe, but the good news is he can still play here and while he may not be at his very best, it's still a positive to have him on the field, as his goal in the last game showed, he's a key figure for this group of players.
France ended the group stage with five points, one victory to start the tournament and then two draws in the games that followed. That left them second behind Austria in the standings, who were the team they beat, albeit only 1-0 in a narrow game. Draws with Netherlands and then Poland ended the groups, with France struggling to show that extra little bit of quality that we all expect from them.
Belgium Form GuideI say that we are yet to see the best of France, and I'm also sure we are yet to see the best of Belgium. They finished second in Group E, a wild group where all four teams ended on four points, each of them taking one win, one draw and one loss from their three games, keeping things as tight as can be.
Belgium lost to Slovakia in their opener, a disappointing game for them, but they followed that up with a good win over Romania, who would eventually be group winners. In their last game, it was a draw against Ukraine, a game that ended 0-0, and considering what was on the line in that one, you have to say it was a disappointing end to the groups for Belgium, and they come here with plenty to do.
Match PredictionTwo big sides who will come here with hopes, but at the same time, their fans will be expecting a lot more than we have seen from them so far. Of the two, I think France have more room for growth, and I also think their ability to win games like this in tournament football will come in handy. It's a France win for me on Monday.
