France welcome Belgium to Stade de France on Monday in a crucial UEFA Nations League A encounter, with the two sides separated by just one point in League A Group 1.
Zinedine Zidane’s France remain unbeaten since the former World Cup winner took charge, but they were held to a 1-1 draw by Italy on Friday. Belgium, meanwhile, responded impressively to their narrow defeat by France by beating Türkiye 3-0, putting Mark van Bommel’s side firmly back into contention at the top of the group.
With France only one point ahead, Belgium know that victory in Paris would send them above Les Bleus and give Van Bommel a major statement win.
Zidane’s tenure has started positively from a results perspective, but France have yet to completely convince. Their opening two Nations League matches produced narrow 1-0 victories over Türkiye and Belgium, before Italy exposed some of the limitations in Friday’s 1-1 draw.
France had to contend with an inspired Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Italy also created enough opportunities to suggest that Zidane’s team can be made uncomfortable when opponents are brave enough to attack them. The draw ended France’s four-match winning run in competitive home matches, and Zidane will be keen for a response in front of the home supporters.
There is also the matter of recent history as France have won their last six meetings with Belgium, including the 1-0 victory in Brussels just over a week ago. However, the absence of several important players means this will not necessarily resemble that encounter.
Belgium’s response to their defeat against France has been excellent. Van Bommel’s side comfortably defeated Türkiye 3-0 in Liege, with Kevin De Bruyne again demonstrating his influence before leaving the field. The result also came at the perfect time as with France dropping points against Italy means Belgium can now leapfrog Les Bleus with a victory in Paris.
The biggest concern is that Belgium will have to attempt it without De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans, both suspended after collecting yellow cards against Türkiye and that is a significant loss of creativity and experience. Belgium can nevertheless take confidence from the fact that they have recently produced clean sheets against Italy and Türkiye, with the only goal conceded in that sequence coming in the narrow defeat to France. The Hard Tackle takes a look at how both sides could line up and what tactics they might employ on the day.
France will be without Dayot Upamecano, who is suspended after collecting his second yellow card against Italy. Maxence Lacroix is therefore expected to partner Jeremy Jacquet at centre-back. Kylian Mbappe remains unavailable after withdrawing from the squad with the knee injury suffered against Türkiye.
That leaves Ousmane Dembele as the likely central attacking option, with Michael Olise and Desire Doue providing width. Olise has been particularly influential during the Nations League campaign, scoring a stunning free-kick against Italy and accounting for two of France’s three goals in the competition so far.
France are expected to line up in a 4-3-3, with Mike Maignan behind Kalulu, Jacquet, Lacroix and Truffert. Rayan Cherki, Da Cunha and Eduardo Camavinga should form the midfield, while Olise, Dembele and Doue lead the attack.
France should look to dominate possession and attack Belgium’s defensive block through rotations between Cherki, Olise and Dembele. Dembele’s movement into central and wider areas can drag Belgium’s centre-backs out of position, potentially opening spaces for Olise or Doué to attack.
Cherki’s role could be especially important. If he can receive between Belgium’s midfield and defence, France could repeatedly create numerical advantages around the edge of the box. However, the reshuffled centre-back pairing means France must also be careful in transition as Belgium have enough pace to punish an overly aggressive defensive line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Maignan; Kalulu, Jacquet, Lacroix, Truffert; Cherki, Da Cunha, Camavinga; Olise, Dembele, Doue
Belgium will be without two of their most influential midfielders as Kevin De Bruyne and Youri Tielemans are suspended after collecting yellow cards against Türkiye. That could see Romeo Lavia return to the starting XI alongside Nicolas Raskin, with Hans Vanaken potentially operating as the central attacking midfielder.
Up front, Van Bommel must decide between Romelu Lukaku and Charles De Ketelaere, while Dodi Lukebakio and Mika Godts are expected to provide attacking support. Belgium should retain their 4-2-3-1, with Senne Lammens behind Timothy Castagne, Nathan Ngoy, Brandon Mechele and Maxim De Cuyper.
Without De Bruyne and Tielemans, Belgium will probably need to be more pragmatic. The midfield pairing of Lavia and Raskin can provide greater defensive protection, while Vanaken can attempt to compensate for the loss of De Bruyne’s creativity.
Belgium’s best opportunities may come in transition. Lukebakio and Godts have the pace to attack the spaces behind France’s advancing full-backs, while De Ketelaere can provide a physical reference point centrally. The visitors should also look to exploit the unfamiliar France centre-back pairing. Quick deliveries into the penalty area could test Lacroix and Jacquet, particularly if Belgium can isolate them against Lukebakio or De Ketelaere.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Lammens; Castagne, Ngoy, Mechele, De Cuyper; Lavia, Raskin; Lukebakio, Vanaken, Godts; De Ketelaere
The Bayern Munich forward has emerged as one of France’s most dangerous attacking players during the early stages of Zidane’s reign. He scored the late winner against Belgium in the previous meeting before producing another decisive moment with a superb free-kick against Italy. Indeed, Olise has scored two of France’s three Nations League goals, meaning he has accounted for 66.7% of their goals in the competition.
His movement from the right could be particularly important against Belgium. Olise can hold his position wide to isolate the full-back, but he is equally comfortable drifting inside to combine with Cherki or Dembélé. With Mbappé unavailable, France need someone capable of producing moments of individual quality. Olise has already demonstrated that he can provide exactly that.
This should be considerably closer than the recent head-to-head record suggests. Belgium have momentum after their 3-0 victory over Türkiye, and their defensive structure has improved considerably. They also came within minutes of taking a point against France in Brussels before Olise’s late winner.
However, playing at the Stade de France gives Les Bleus an important advantage, and France still possess greater depth in the final third. The absence of De Bruyne and Tielemans is particularly damaging for Belgium because it removes much of their experience and creativity in midfield. France may not dominate the game, but their attacking options should eventually make the difference.
