Probably the marquee match-up of the Euro 2024 round of 16 fixtures is France versus Belgium, which takes place on Monday evening. Both teams have underperformed so far in the tournament, although they remain two of the best sides on their day.
Real Madrid are well-represented in France’s squad, with Ferland Mendy, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Kylian Mbappe present. None of them will face teammate Thibaut Courtois on Monday, after Belgium head coach Domenico Tedesco opted against calling up the Real Madrid goalkeeper due to an ongoing dispute between the pair.
For Camavinga, this is a major advantage to Les Bleus, as he told the media (via Relevo).
“It’s good for us that he doesn’t play (with Belgium), because he’s a great goalkeeper. He saves everything.”
Camavinga also spoke on the prospect of matching up against Kevin De Bruyne.
“I don’t have the secret to marking him. He’s a great player, he moves all over the pitch. The most important thing is for us to be compact in defence.”
Courtois was in great form for Real Madrid at the end of last season, especially considering he came back from two serious knee injuries. He’s undoubtedly a miss for Belgium, which is a positive for France.