France vs Belgium: 6 key players to watch out for from both sides

Axel Witsel

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The midfield warrior of Belgium, who quietly does all the hard work, will be tested against the might of the France defence, especially the craft of Paul Pogba. He gave a fabulous example of his niftiness in the game against Brazil and has the prerequisite to give the Manchester United star some headache on the field. Witsel covered an impressive 43.3 Kilometres so far, attempting 219 passes and completing 208 of them.

He had 5 attempts, with 2 of them on target, but is yet to score a goal. He also recovered the ball 21 times. Defensively, he has given his midfield partners the license to roam. Much like Kante, Witsel is a hard worker and will be running tirelessly around the field all game. He is not too ambitious, preferring instead to sit in front of the defence and Roberto Martinez will be looking towards him to attend to Griezmann.

Kevin de Bruyne

De Bruyne has been playing a deeper role for Belgium than is typical of him, but he has done a wonderful job. He has covered 43.3 Kilometres so far, attempting 219 passes and completing 178 of them. Because of the way Roberto Martinez’s men play, his pass completion percentage has been low, as he is initiating and attempting through balls for Hazard and Lukaku.

He has one assist to his name and has shown his passing prowess in the Belgian counter attacks, both against Japan and Brazil. Even though he has been playing deep, he has 8 attempts on target, with 2 of them on target and 1 goal.

What is fascinating is that he has 14 deliveries and 2 dribbles into the penalty area and 17 attempted crosses. France will be wary of him and either of Kante or Matuidi will be paying very close attention to him. Like the internal combustion engine is the heart of an automobile, De Bruyne is the heart of this Belgian team. He dictates the pace and the tempo of the game and like the Japan game, he inspires them to believe in themselves