World Cup final: France vs Croatia

France’s forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring their third goal during the Russia 2018 World Cup round of 16 football match between France and Argentina at the Kazan Arena in Kazan on June 30, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE

World Cup: France vs Belgium’s records in knockout games and head-to-head

Should be a cracker.

World Cup final: France vs Croatia

France’s forward Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring their third goal during the Russia 2018 World Cup round of 16 football match between France and Argentina at the Kazan Arena in Kazan on June 30, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE

France will unleash the attacking talents of Kylian Mbappe and Antoine Griezmann against Eden Hazard’s gifted Belgium side in Saint Petersburg on Tuesday with a place in the World Cup final at stake.

The semi-final matchup of the European neighbours promises to be full of intrigue as France aim to return to the final for the first time since a Zinedine Zidane-led team did so in Germany in 2006.

Belgium will be seeking to break new ground by reaching the final for the first time in their history – indeed they have only reached the semi-finals once before, in 1986.

The match kicks off at 20:00 South African time.

On paper it looks like one of the most impressive match-ups of the World Cup so far. Let’s take a look at some of the numbers.

France vs Belgium head-to-head

These two have played each other often. We mean REALLY often. Over 70 times to be exact. And, interestingly, it’s Belgium who holds the aces with 30 wins. France have won 24 and there have been 19 draws.

The two teams have met in World Cups before, but not since the 1980s. France have won all three of those matches.

France in knockouts

In World Cups, France have thrice been knocked out in the semi-finals of the competition in 1958, 1982 and 1986. They have gone on to make the semi-finals of the tournament twice more after that winning it in 1998 and finishing second in 2006.

France were also knocked out in the quarter-finals last time out and in two other tournament-ending fixtures before that (quarter-finals in 1938 and Round of 16 in 1934).

In the European championships, they’ve lost three knockout games and won three, most recently in 2016 when they finished runners-up to Portugal in 2016.

Belgium in knockouts

Belgium’s knock out record is a bit more dubious. They have never progressed to the final of a World Cup, losing four of the knockout games they’ve played in at the tournament. Their best achievement was a fourth place finish back in 1986.

In the European championships, things aren’t that much better. They’ve won a knockout match just once, in 1980, when they finished runners-up. They’ve lost the two other knockout games they’ve featured in at the tournament.