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We’ve reached the semi-finals of the World Cup, and we’ve got two massive games coming up. The pick of them is the one between France and Belgium, both of whom have produced excellent attacking displays in the tournament so far.
France needed just two games to secure qualification from the group stages, but it wasn’t exactly convincing. They needed the help of VAR to beat Australia, before Kylian Mbappe’s winner gave them a scrappy win over Peru. They topped the group thanks to a dull 0-0 draw with Denmark in their final game.
They impressed much more in their first two knockout matches though. They produced a brilliant display to beat Argentina 4-3 in the round of 16, in a match that proved to be one of the best we have seen in Russia. They then made it through to the semi-finals with a comfortable looking 2-0 win over Uruguay, who had previously been very strong defensively.
Belgium had looked slightly better in the group stage, but there is no doubting that they were in a much weaker group than France. They eased past both Panama and Tunisia, then beat England in a game where both sides rested a number of first choice players.
In the knockout stages, they have been involved in two of the most exciting games that we have seen at this tournament. In the round of 16, they came from two goals down to beat Japan, with Nacer Chadli netting a last-minute winner. In the quarterfinals, they shocked Brazil with a fantastic counter-attacking display that saw them win 2-1.
Both teams have some brilliant individuals in their squad, but these are the 11 players who would make a combined team from the two squads.
Goalkeeper and defenders
Thibaut Courtois (Belgium)
Both teams have excellent goalkeepers, who would get into most international teams in the world. Courtois just edges selection here though after some superb performances at the World Cup. He has always been a consistent performer, but his last-minute fingertip save from Neymar was one of the saves of the tournament so far, and without it, Belgium might not have got this far.
Benjamin Pavard (France)
There were some doubts about Pavard coming into the tournament. He was a lesser known member of the French squad and having spent the last season with Stuttgart playing at centre back, he was a worry for France. He has been superb in Russia though.
Defensively, he has been almost faultless, and although he hasn’t always been perfect on the ball, he hit a quite brilliant volley against Argentina, and suddenly became a hero amongst the French fans.
Toby Alderweireld (Belgium)
There may still be speculation over what Alderweireld’s future holds in terms of at club level, but that hasn’t affected his performances on the international stage. He is Belgium’s best defender and a crucial member of this side.
He and Vincent Kompany formed an excellent partnership in the centre of defence for their game against Brazil, and if the two can stay fit, Belgium has an excellent chance of taking home the trophy on Sunday.
Raphael Varane (France)
It seems like Varane has been around for years, but he’s still only 25. He has established himself well at Real Madrid in the seven years he has been there and has now begun to do the same with France.
He is a classy player, he holds the ball well and is as close as you get to a stylish defender. In the absence of Laurent Koscielny, he has become the leader of this French defence. He has had an excellent tournament and opened the scoring in the game against Uruguay.
Jan Vertonghen (Belgium)
Another Tottenham defender, but Vertonghen plays a different role for Belgium than he does in North London. At Tottenham, he plays at centre-back, forming an excellent partnership with Alderweireld, whereas with Belgium, he has filled in at left-back in the last two games.
He isn’t as natural in that position and probably doesn’t offer as much going forward as many other fullbacks. However, he is a superb one-on-one defender, and there aren’t many better fullbacks who defend as well as him.
Midfielders
Eden Hazard (Belgium)
Eden Hazard is right at the centre of Belgium’s golden generation. In terms of raw talent, there aren’t many players who are at Hazard’s level. However, he hasn’t always done the business on the international stage.
But in the last couple of weeks, we have seen a couple of moments that could suggest that this is his moment. In a new look front three against Belgium, he was a constant threat and linked particularly well with Kevin De Bruyne.
Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
There are very few players in the world who have an ability that matches De Bruyne’s. He had a superb season, helping Manchester City run away with the Premier League, as well as being nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award.
He didn’t have the sort of impact expected of him in the opening few games of the tournament, as he was deployed in a deeper role. Against Brazil, however, he was part of a front free along with Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard, and he had an excellent game, including scoring a brilliant goal to double Belgium’s lead.
N’Golo Kante (France)
Every team in the world would want N’Golo Kante in their side. He is an incredibly consistent performer, having shown outstanding form for both Leicester City and Chelsea over the past three seasons, and is a crucial player in the middle of the park.
He covers a huge amount of ground, and has a great knack of winning the ball back for his side. He has played a key role for France in this tournament, including bringing the best out of the mercurial Paul Pogba.
Forwards
Kylian Mbappe (France)
The teenager has burst onto the scene over the past 18 months and has kept that up at the World Cup. He has regularly upstaged the likes of Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann and has been their main man at times.
He became France’s youngest ever goalscorer at a major tournament when he netted the winner against Peru, and then scored twice against Argentina, as well as winning a penalty after an excellent run, to inspire his side to a 4-3 win.
Romelu Lukaku (Belgium)
Lukaku has proven himself as an excellent goal scorer in the past few seasons with Everton and Manchester United, but there have still been doubts over whether he is capable of performing against the big sides.
He hasn’t had a great tournament in terms of goals since he scored twice in Belgium’s opening two games, but played a key role against Brazil, including a powerful run to set up Kevin de Bruyne for his side’s second.
Antoine Griezmann (France)
Another man who was expected to be one of the stars of the World Cup, but struggled to live up to those expectations in the opening games of the tournament is Antoine Griezmann. He provided a goal from the spot in their opener against Australia, but until the quarter-final with Uruguay, he was upstaged by Kylian Mbappe. He was excellent against Uruguay though, providing a goal and assist to send his side into the semi-finals.
Agree with this line-up? Disagree? Who would you have included or excluded? Tell us in the comments below!
