Belgium vs France Prediction: Who will suffer their first defeat at the tournament?

Belgium and France go through to the semi-finals without defeat. Who will suffer their first defeat at the tournament? The Belgians have never reached a EuroBasket final, but for the French, it could be their sixth in a row.

The Belgian side has failed to qualify for the semi-finals at their two most successful tournaments. The two-time European bronze medallists could not beat Spain in 2017 and Serbia in 2021. Interestingly, Belgium faced France in the final on both occasions, and the French team lost in the final game.

As for the current championship, Belgium not only got to the semifinals without any problems but crushed almost all its opponents - in the group Israel (108:59), the Czech Republic (84:41), and Italy (72:64). In the quarterfinals, the defending champions Serbia (93:53). Vanloo and Linskens scored 14 points each. And Emma Misseman made history with her first triple-double in European Women's Championship playoff history - 15 points, 13 rebounds, and ten assists.

The French have not been without a European Championship semifinal since 2009, a victorious year for France. Two years later, they lost the semi-finals and picked up the bronze medal before winning five straight European finals, all of which the French lost. Will the tradition continue this time around?

Like Belgium, France won their group, with Germany (58:50), Great Britain (63:57), and Slovenia (73:68), so they skipped the round of 16 and started the playoffs straight from the quarterfinals, where they left Montenegro with no chance of success - 89:46. The French national team shot almost 64% from the field, with the best of them being forward Mariem Badian who scored 20 points, center Sandrine Gruda (18 points), making the seventh EuroBasket title in her career, and point guard Marin Fatou with 15 points and six assists.

Belgium seems to be a stronger team in Eurobasket 2023 than in previous bronze tournaments. The Belgians have made phenomenal progress on offense, most notably in their quarterfinal game against Serbia - 35 assists, a three-point percentage, and nearly 60% shooting just from the field. The French were slow to recover, but once they found their form, they also showed they could shoot almost flawlessly - 89 in the quarterfinals against Montenegro, 63.8% shooting, and 27 assists on just nine turnovers.

The opponents are unlikely to continue shooting with a 60 percent shooting percentage in the upcoming game. Stopping the Belgian attack for the whole game seems to be almost impossible. So, at some point, France will have to score with their attack. The French will have a good chance of winning and reaching the final of the European Championship, even in an open game.