Euro 2024: Masked Mbappe leads France in high-stakes duel with Belgium
France and Belgium meet in the pre-quarterfinals at the European Championship on Monday. The neighbours are the top two European nations in the FIFA rankings France is at No. 2 and Belgium at No. 3 but they haven't been playing like it so far.
Kick-off is at 6 pm local (1600 GMT, 9.30 pm) in Duesseldorf. Here's what to know about the match:
Match facts
The drama surrounding Kylian Mbapp's broken nose has died down somewhat, though he will still need to wear a protective mask for the match. The France captain's only goal in his two appearances so far came from the penalty spot against Poland so the striker has some work to do to reach the tournament-high eight goals he got at the last World Cup in Qatar.
There has been some criticism in France of the team's style of play, in particular its lack of efficiency upfront. France coach Didier Deschamps doesn't appear too concerned at this stage, even telling disgruntled armchair critics: If they don't like it, they can change the ...