France vs Belgium Bet Builder Tips: Mbappe to boost Les Bleus in fiery fixture

Arguably the pick of the Euro 2024 last 16 ties can be found at the Merkur Spiel-Arena in Dusseldorf on Monday (17:00, ITV1) as two-time winners France look to pip near-neighbours Belgium to a quarter-finals spot.

Read below for my France vs Belgium bet builder tips as Les Bleus, many people's pre-tournament picks to win the competition, fight to avoid an early exit.

Euro 2024 Odds

France vs Belgium Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main France vs Belgium page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Kylian Mbappe anytime scorer

It was a rough start to Euro 2024 for Kylian Mbappe as the Real Madrid-bound forward suffered a facial injury in the latter stages of France's 1-0 victory over Austria that forced him to miss their goalless draw with the Netherlands.

However, the 25-year-old finally got his tournament up and running with a goal in Tuesday's 1-1 draw with Poland, albeit from a penalty kick.

France head coach Didier Deschamps will hope that's just what his captain needs to get going ahead of a crunch last 16 clash with Belgium on Monday.

No other player in Deschamps' squad has scored at Euro 2024, so the pressure is on Mbappe to come up with the goods again.

Belgium kept back-to-back clean sheets against Romania and Ukraine, but their vulnerabilities were exposed in their 1-0 defeat to Slovakia on June 17, and Mbappe should be licking his lips at the opportunity to test a weakened Red Devils backline consisting of 37-year-old Jan Vertonghen and makeshift left-back Arthur Theate.

Anytime Goalscorer Extra Time: Place a bet on the Anytime Goalscorer market on a Euro 2024 knockout match and if your player scores in extra time Betfred will pay you out as a winner.

Theo Hernandez to be carded

Theo Hernandez has kept his slate clean so far in Germany, only making one foul - against Poland last time out - and not being booked, but it feels like a matter of time before he incurs the wrath of a referee.

The AC Milan left-back received two yellow cards in France's Euro 2024 qualification campaign, averaging 0.9 fouls per game, and was cautioned 11 times in Serie A last season and shown one red card.

Unlike Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Adrien Rabiot, Hernandez is not at risk of a suspension, which means he can afford to commit fouls and make cynical actions if required on Monday.

Up against a couple of tricky wingers in Dodi Lukebakio and Jeremy Doku, who have been fouled three times each so far in the competition, Hernandez may return to the notebook of a referee.

Player Cards Extra Time: Place a bet on the Player to be carded market on any Euro 2024 knockout match and if your player is carded in extra time Betfred will pay you out as a winner.

Arthur Theate to be carded

The other left-back on Monday, Belgium's Theate, could also be in with a shout of being booked.

Naturally a centre-back, Theate has been covering at left-back due to an injury crisis in the Red Devils ranks. He wasn't fit enough himself to play Belgium's group opener against Slovakia but was thrown into the starting XI in their next match, a 2-0 victory over Romania, and equipped himself well, keeping his place for the goalless draw with Ukraine that followed.

He only made one foul against the latter, but there are concerns that he will be more exposed against elite-level opposition, with Dembele potentially playing on the right-hand side of the French attack.

Dembele was fouled at least once in all three of his country's group games, including twice against the Netherlands, and is a tricky customer for any full-back to deal with, let alone an auxiliary one playing in his first major international tournament (he was called up for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but failed to make an appearance).

Theate averaged one foul per game in Euro 2024 qualifying, picking up one yellow card, and was booked four times for Stade Rennais in Ligue 1 last season. Those aren't huge numbers, but given what's at stake for both countries on Monday, and the unpredictability of a player like Dembele, I think Theate is worthy of consideration for a card, which takes this bet builder up to a tasty 22/1.

Place an In-Play bet of £10 or more odds of 1/2+ on the 5pm KO (France vs Belgium) at Euro 2024 and get £5 in Free Bets to use In-Play on the 8pm KO (Portugal vs Slovenia).

GOAL FEVER - Place a Match Result single bet (Pre-Match), and if your team wins by 3 or more goals in selected matches, we’ll pay a 25% cash bonus on top of your winnings!

You can read all our latest Euro 2024 Betting Tips at our dedicated Betfred Insights content hub.