05 July 2018
After a two-day break, the quarter-finals of this enthralling 2018 World Cup begin on Friday with three of the four matches on Friday and Saturday featuring teams with Bianconeri representatives.
With just three wins standing between each team and glory on 15 July in Moscow, things are down to the wire and here's what to watch for this weekend.
URUGUAY vs FRANCE
The first quarter-final of the round sees another chance for Rodrigo Bentancur to continue his scintillating World Cup in a blockbuster matchup against a France side featuring Blaise Matuidi who is unfortunately suspended for the match due to yellow card accumulation.
Uruguay defeated Portugal to reach the final eight while France defeated Argentina. The winner of the match in Nizhny Novgorod will face the winner of Brazil vs Belgium.
BRAZIL'S TOUGH TEST
Another Juventus derby in the semi-finals would be on the cards if Brazil can get past a tough quarter-final test against Belgium. Set for 20.00 in Kazan, it remains to be seen if Douglas Costa can recover in time to return to the squad after missing the last two matches.
CROATIA FACES THE HOSTS
After scoring the lone goal of the PK win over Denmark, Mario Mandzukic and Croatia, along with Marko Pjaca, face an even tougher test battling the hosts Russia on Saturday night at 20.00 CESTA in Sochi. Croatia look to make the semi-finals for the first time since France '98 in their first World Cup as a nation.
