One of the tastiest matchups of the entire World Cup is the clash between France and Belgium. Chelsea fans will be able to watch their two best face off.
The World Cup brings the world together as much as it tears fans and clubs apart. It is a unique change of pace from club football but it occasionally means that club friendships and support have to be set aside for the nation.
But the World Cup also showcases a window to another dimension. One where a player signed elsewhere or one where someone never left. It offers the rare chance to see a club’s best players face off. It is a battle that strikes directly at the heart of the club involved.
For Chelsea, that match is the France versus Belgium semifinal. It is deep enough in the tournament to have almost everything on the line. And it showcases a vast majority of the World Cup involved Chelsea players.
In one corner, N’Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud, both likely to start. In the other, Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois with Michy Batshuayi on the bench. The matchup will likely see four of the 11 starters from the FA Cup final play against each other. But the big one is Kante versus Hazard.
Many will argue who Chelsea’s most important player is. Some will say Hazard. His ability to create from nothing and win a game alone is crucial to the Blues. Others will say it must be Kante. He is the engine that makes everything else in the squad run and he can prevent a loss on his own. Regardless, the two are by and far Chelsea’s best players. And only one can reach the World Cup final.
What will make the match even more interesting is that the two are sure to directly face each other. France manager Didier Deschamps will know the threat that Hazard can be. Kante’s job will be to stifle his Chelsea teammate just as he would Lionel Messi. Belgium manager Roberto Martinez will likely think the same and try to counter with some crazy tactic to draw Kante away.
But really, the two players will want to face each other. They surely have in training before. And truly, they are the only two Chelsea players that can challenge the other. Kante the immovable object against Hazard the unstoppable force.
Whether Giroud can (finally) score this World Cup against Courtois is another, less interesting battle. That is the undercard to Kante versus Hazard. Winner takes the crown of Chelsea’s most valuable player.
It is somewhat unfortunate that this could not be the final, but there is enough on the line to make this a true treat for Chelsea fans. It will cause torn loyalties but it will be fantastic to see how Chelsea’s two best players cope with each other.
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And luckily, there will be as few bad feelings as possible between the two. They understand it is not personal; there can only be one finalist. But they will be eager to prove themselves against the other.