A day of strong emotions at the World Cup in Russia.

Brazil Agency – The World Cup quarter-finals begin today (6). Brazil faces Belgium at 15pm, but before that, at 11am, France takes on Uruguay. The winners of these two matches will meet in the semi-finals.

Brazil faces Belgium once again in the knockout stage of the World Cup. In 2002, the Belgians stood in Brazil's way to their fifth World Cup title. They lost to Brazil in the round of 16, but put up a fight. They had a legitimate goal disallowed by the referee when the score was still 0-0.

Both teams' pre-match rhetoric reflects absolute respect for their opponent. Striker Lukaku defended Neymar, stating that the Brazilian number 10 doesn't overreact when fouled and believes he will one day be the best player in the world.

"Neymar, for me, is not an actor. The players who play against him are tougher, because Neymar has qualities that are not normal. For me, he will be the best player in the world in the future and I am happy because I will play against him," he said, in Portuguese, at yesterday's press conference (5).

Tite also expressed respect for the opponent. He stated that he has been working with his players to maintain the same level of performance as in the previous match, but seeking to improve with each game. He emphasized, however, that Belgium is a quality team and only during the match will it be known if Brazil's best will overcome Belgium's best.

"What I look for with the athletes is to maintain and improve. And then you're left with the feeling of having done your best. Whether your maximum will be superior to the other's is a matter of the game. All the athletes who came on played well. This strengthens the team. But it's not enough to say that we're going to win because the other side also has quality."

For the game against Belgium, Marcelo returns to left-back and Fernandinho comes into midfield in place of Casemiro, who is suspended with two yellow cards. Defender Miranda will be the captain in this match.

Duel between teammates

The match will feature a duel between several teammates. Fernandinho, who starts for the first time in this World Cup, and Gabriel Jesus will face De Bruyne and Kompany, with whom they won the English league title with Manchester City last season. Willian and Hazard play together at Chelsea, also in England, and Neymar and Meunier are teammates at Paris Saint-Germain.

"I don't know how to stop him. He's very unpredictable," the Belgian said about Neymar. "I'll do my best. I know we have a chance, but I also know it's very difficult to stop them as a whole, not just Neymar," he added.

Doubt in Uruguay

Uruguayan fans are already lamenting Cavani's almost certain absence from the match against France. The striker, who scored both goals in the team's qualification against Portugal in the round of 16, has not yet recovered from a calf injury. Cavani has been fundamental for the Uruguayan team, scoring three of the team's seven goals in the World Cup. More than that, he has shown a crucial understanding with Suárez, who scored two goals and provided an assist – precisely for Cavani to score against Portugal.

The Uruguayans, along with Brazil, have the best defense in the World Cup, having conceded only one goal. They will put this defensive efficiency to the test against a fast attack. France played an electrifying game against Argentina in the round of 16. The defensive lapses, which allowed three goals to the Argentinians, were overshadowed by Mbappé's great performance. Neymar's teammate at Paris Saint-Germain, the Frenchman led the team to the quarterfinals with technical, fast, and precise football.