Following Belgium’s 1-0 defeat to France in the semifinals of the World Cup, defeated Red Devils stars Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois immediately began throwing shade at Les Bleus.
We’re down to the last four teams at the World Cup: France, Belgium, Croatia and England. Who on earth would have thought that these would be the last teams standing? But we’re not complaining. It’s been a World Cup full of surprises and there's definitely room for more. I mean, England won a penalty shootout.
As always, we’ve picked our best lineup from the top performers in the quarterfinals. A 4-4-2 formation is how the team looks again.
The 2018 World Cup semifinals begin on Tuesday with France vs Belgium in Saint Petersburg. The final will then be set following the completion of Wednesday's matchup between England and Croatia in Moscow. Here are our World Cup semi finals predictions, including team news, injuries, tactics and previews.
France vs Belgium
Tuesday, July 10 | 2:00 p.m. ET | Saint Petersburg Stadium
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With eight teams left in the 2018 World Cup, every remaining nation has done something to deserve to be at this point. While the path has been easier for some teams, to reach the quarterfinals is no easy feat. At this juncture, picking a World Cup predicted winner is difficult because every team left could win it.
From the unfancied host Russia to the favored Brazilians, all eight teams are three wins away from lifting the Jules Rimet Trophy in Moscow on July 15.
It’s coming home. At least that’s what just about every English person is saying right now. Laugh at them if you want, but based off how this England side is playing right now, it might actually be coming home.
Many fans would associate England with being one of the most underwhelming sides on the international stage. In terms of World Cup performance, England made the quarterfinals in 2006, followed that up with a Round of 16 finish in 2010 and then in 2014, they failed to make it out of the group stage.
Brazil takes on Belgium in the second quarterfinal of the 2018 World Cup at Kazan Arena on Friday, July 6 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The match is a broadcaster’s dream with the likes of Neymar and Philippe Coutinho taking on Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard. It’ll be a high-octane affair with the winner moving on to Saint Petersburg to play either France or Uruguay in the semifinals.
Few could have predicted this matchup in the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup before the tournament started, so making a Russia vs Croatia prediction might seem like a fool’s errand. But whoever survives the quarterfinal on Saturday at Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi will deserve its spot in the semifinals against either Sweden or England.
France takes on Uruguay in the first quarterfinal of the 2018 World Cup at Nizhny Novgorod Stadium on Friday, July 6, at 10:00 a.m. ET. The match will serve as the tournament’s first truly fascinating clash of styles: the attacking zest of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba versus the hard-bitten play of Diego Godin, Jose Gimenez and Luis Suarez. It’s all on the line with the winner advancing to the semifinal to meet either Brazil or Belgium.
This World Cup featured the craziest group stage I’ve ever seen. I don’t know if it was the VAR, something in the Russian water or if Putin's cronies were up to something, but the 2018 edition of the world’s greatest sporting event will forever live on as one of the best.
Who could have foreseen this? Germany, the defending champion, had never been knocked out in the group stage, advancing in its previous 18 tournaments. Die Mannschaft won the 2017 Confederations Cup with ease. All that was needed was a win for Germany vs South Korea and Joachim Low’s men would have moved on to the next round.
Instead, it was a tepid 2-0 loss for Germany vs South Korea, sending the 2014 World Cup champion home with a last-place finish in Group F.
So, who could have foreseen this? Anyone who learns from history.