With a 2-1 win over Brazil in the quarterfinals last week, Belgium extended its current unbeaten streak to 23 games with an impressive 18-5-0 mark over that run. Coming off that big upset, the Belgians will try to pull off another this Tuesday against France.
France vs. Belgium odds: 2018 World Cup semifinals begin with France as a betting favorite
Belgium and France collide in an exciting semifinals match on Tuesday in Saint Petersburg, with the sportsbooks giving the edge to the French side in the contest.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Belgium is a +205 underdog to win in regulation at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. France would pay +145 on a regulation win, while the game going into extra time with a regulation draw would pay +225.
France vs. Belgium
When: Tuesday, July 10, 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Saint Petersburg Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Betting Line / Total: France +145 / 2.5 Goals
Belgium fell behind to Japan 2-0 in the Round of 16 before roaring back with three straight second half goals to earn a 3-2 victory and a trip to the quarterfinals. There, facing a Brazil team that was the favorite to win the World Cup, Belgium never trailed.
The Belgian side forced an own-goal off a quality set piece in the 13th minute of the game after staving off an early attack from Brazil, and followed that up with an insurance goal in the 31st minute. Brazil eventually found a goal in the 76th minute, but it wasn’t enough as the golden generation of Belgium continued to live up to its name with a trip into the semifinals.
This has been a tournament full of teams with past World Cup demons making deep runs. In addition to Belgium and England making impressive trips into the semifinals, France has shaken off disappointing runs in 2010 and 2014 to get back into the semifinals here in 2018.
Usually known to be a team that attracts drama in the World Cup, France has had a drama-free trip to this point, taking care of Argentina in the Round of 16 and then putting together a particularly dominant 2-0 win over a strong Uruguay side in the quarterfinals. This group has a good mix of young talent and veterans and has been arguably the most composed team of the tournament.
Tuesday’s total is set at 2.5 goals. There have been at least three goals scored in six of Belgium’s last seven games, and the one exception over that stretch was a 1-0 win over England in which the team was resting many of its starters. Regardless of whether this winds up being a high scoring or low scoring affair, it should be a tight one between the tournament’s best two remaining teams.
For more odds information, betting picks and a breakdown of this week’s top World Cup betting news check out the OddsShark FC podcast with Andrew Avery, Rob Trites, and Craig Cormier. Subscribe on iTunes or listen to it at OddsSharkFC.libsyn.com.
