World Cup preview: Uruguay v France, Brazil v Belgium

After two unbearable days of no football, in which most England fans have hopefully recovered from one drink too many and stress-induced headaches, the World Cup returns on Friday for the first two quarter-finals.

1500 BST Uruguay v France (ITV)

1900 BST Brazil v Belgium (BBC)

The first of Friday’s matches will see France attempt to break down Uruguay’s superb defence in which Atletico Madrid centre-back pairing Diego Godin and José Giménez hold starring roles.

In fact, the South American side appears to be one of the most well-balanced teams in the tournament now that their striking partnership of Edinson Cavani and Luis Suarez has come to life after two disappointing opening matches.

Cavani could miss out on Friday however, after suffering a calf injury in the victory against Portugal and being notably absent from some training sessions since.

The long-haired front-man was the top scorer behind the South Americans' qualifying for the tournament and would be a huge loss for the Uruguayans, not just for his skill but also for his relationship and interplay with fellow striker Suarez.

France, who will be decidedly less upset if Cavani cannot play, started the competition slowly but are finally starting to look like the real deal after their spectacular last-16 victory over Argentina.

Kylian Mbappe and Paul Pogba were outstanding but it is perhaps difficult to draw conclusions on the prospects of the French in the overall tournament as Jorge Sampaoli’s Argentina were largely off-colour in Russia.

Didier Deschamps' side is undoubtedly packed with quality, but the side sometimes fails to gel and often looked ordinary during their group stage matches.

Roberto Martinez’s Belgium side, who feature in the late fixture against Brazil, have been known to struggle with the same issues, with the first 60 minutes of their match against Japan being a great example of this.

Star players Romelu Lukaku, Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard failed to unlock the Japanese defence and the side conceded two excellent goals from the energetic and disciplined Japanese.

Over the final 30 minutes of the match Belgium were exceptional however, with Martinez’s much derided substitutes Marouane Fellaini and Nacer Chadli winning the game for the Red Devils.

Such a turnaround could be inspiring for a Belgian side which features a golden generation of players such as Vincent Kompany, Jan Vertonghen, Dries Mertens and Mousa Dembélé who, as players now in their thirties, may not get another chance at World Cup glory.

Indeed, the aging legs of the Belgian defence will face a fearsome test from a young and vibrant Brazil attack featuring divisive PSG winger Neymar.

Neymar has equally delighted and dismayed at this competition, on the one hand displaying fantastic skill and attacking drive and on the other falling to the ground and writhing in the worst imitation of pain in what can only be efforts to influence officiating decisions.

Former England striker Dion Dublin, who was commentating on Brazil’s match against Mexico, said: "I'm embarrassed for Neymar. He is one of the world's greatest players but when he rolls about on the floor, I just don't get it. Come on young man you're better than that, get on with the game."

At the other end of the pitch, Brazil’s defence has been formidable thus far in the competition, conceding just a single goal so far.

The back line will also be boosted against Belgium by the return of regular left-back Marcelo, who was replaced by Filipe Luis for the Mexico game due to a back injury.

Brazil defender Miranda, who will captain the side against Belgium, said: "Belgium is not just Romelu Lukaku. They are a very strong attacking team, but the main way to stop the opponent is to be aware of all of the players who are on the pitch because there are several high-quality players, they are very skilful."