On Tuesday, the first participant of the World Cup final taking place in Russia will be revealed in St. Petersburg. The talented Belgian team, eager to repeat the triumph of 1998, will face either the French national team or the Brazilian barrier. Under Roberto Martinez's guidance, the Belgian team has already matched their best World Cup performance. In the 1986 tournament in Mexico, the Belgians reached the semifinals, where they lost to the Argentine national team, who went on to win the trophy. In the third-place playoff, the "Red Devils" faced France and lost 2-4 in extra time. This year, both teams are strong in attack and have highly talented players, whose individual skills can determine the outcome of the match. However, spectators on Tuesday may witness a more cautious style of play, as the stakes for the match are much higher compared to the championships held over 30 years ago. The teams will battle for a place in the final, guaranteeing at least a silver medal. However, no one is thinking about that, as all the teams only see one thing - the winner's trophy. Especially when both teams play beautiful football. France slowly found their form in the group stage, securing victories against Australia and Peru. The first goalless draw of the tournament came in the final group match against Denmark. In this match, both teams were criticized for their unexciting play. In the round of 16, the 19-year-old Frenchman Kylian Mbappe dazzled Argentina, leading his team to a 4-3 triumph. In the quarterfinal, "Les Bleus" faced another South American opponent, Uruguay. However, without their leader Edinson Cavani, "La Celeste" eventually succumbed. The path of the "Red Devils" to the semifinals has been equally impressive. In the group stage, they crushed their opponents: first, they beat Panama 3-0, then defeated Tunisia 5-2, and finally squeezed past England 1-0 in the last group match. However, their blind confidence was tested in the quarterfinals against Japan, where Belgium barely escaped elimination. Only a last-minute goal saved Belgium and sent them into the next round, where they faced one of the tournament favorites, Brazil. Excellently neutralizing their opponents' dangerous players, Belgium performed well in attack and secured a ticket to the semifinals. "When you beat the Brazilian national team, you have nothing to fear. Fear hinders your play. You have to respect all opponents, which is important for every player to understand. But if you play in fear, you will never play at your best," said Belgium's goalkeeper Nacer Chadli. However, Belgium could themselves fall into defensive traps. Their most dangerous weapon, Eden Hazard, will be targeted by his club teammate N'Golo Kante from "Chelsea." But that's not the only issue for R. Martinez's team. Due to accumulated yellow cards, Thomas Meunier won't be able to play in the semifinal, so the Spanish coach may opt for a 4-4-2 formation. "Les Bleus" coach Didier Deschamps has no major concerns. In the 65,000-seat stadium, we should see all of France's brightest football stars. However, one of the former stars to triumph in the 1998 tournament, Thierry Henry, is now on the other side. He shares his experience with the Belgian players, but "Les Bleus" see no problem in that. "We have mutual respect for Thierry Henry. There are no hard feelings when he chose a career in commentary and had to be critical while talking about our game. But I don't care. My task is to represent the French national team as best as possible in the World Cup, lead the team forward, win. Of course, I would like to show Th. Henry that by choosing Belgium, he didn't choose the right camp," said Olivier Giroud, forward for the French national team. The two teams have met 74 times before but only twice in the World Cup. The last time was in Mexico, and since then, they have played 8 friendly matches. Projected lineups: France: Hugo Lloris; Lucas Hernandez, Samuel Umtiti, Raphael Varane, Benjamin Pavard; Ngolo Kante, Paul Pogba; Blaise Matuidi, Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe; Olivier Giroud. Belgium: Thibaut Courtois; Jan Vertonghen, Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen, Toby Alderweireld; Yannick Carrasco, Axel Witsel, Kevin De Bruyne, Nacer Chadli; Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku.
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