The World Cup semi-finals are upon us as we edge closer to the conclusion of what has been a fantastic tournament.

On Tuesday evening, Belgium take on France in a match that many believe will deliver the champions.

Then on Wednesday, England meet Croatia for a chance to compete for the trophy.

With Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar absent, it’s an opportunity for someone else to take all the headlines.

Kylian Mbappe, perhaps, or Eden Hazard. Maybe Luka Modric, who has only enhanced his status as the finest midfielder on the planet with his performances in Russia.

Football fans have been treated to a thrilling knockout competition.

France’s 4-3 victory over Argentina in the round-of-16 was an absorbing affair, as was the sight of Croatia and Russia trading blows in the quarter-final before the hosts lost a penalty shootout.

Gary Neville's prediction

Questions will be asked in Brazil about the Selecao’s failure to reach the semi-final.

But one man who didn’t expect them to reach the final four is Gary Neville.

Last month, after the round-of-16 matches were set, the Manchester United hero predicted the entire knockout round.

And he's taken to Twitter to remind fans of just how accurate he's been.

Neville predicted semi-final meetings between France and Belgium and Croatia and England.

The only calls that he’s gotten wrong so far are Portugal to beat Uruguay, Switzerland to overcome Sweden and Spain advancing against Russia in their round-of-16 ties.

Fair play, Gary.

Going forward, the 43-year-old thinks Belgium and England will prevail in the semis.

And in the final? An England win, of course.

The Three Lions have benefitted from being in the side of the draw that didn’t include France, Uruguay or Brazil.

That privilege instead fell to Belgium who, to their credit, produced a brilliant performance to defeat Brazil 2-1.

An England versus Belgium final would be interesting for so many reasons.

Their meeting in the group stage was more akin to a friendly, with both teams resting their stars and aware of the benefits that came with losing the match.

And given the makeup of Belgium’s team, a meeting with England would resemble a Premier League all-star match.

Both sides must overcome their respective semi-final opponents before thinking of a reunion, though.