At 02:45 (CEST) on September 29, Belgian time, Belgium will face France in the second matchday of UEFA Nations League A. Ahead of the match, Castagne attended Belgium's press conference and shared his expectations for the encounter.

You've played France many times before. What's different about France without Mbappé?

Of course, there will be some changes, but their replacement players are also very strong, like Barcola. In the end, even without Mbappé, France has plenty of talent, and the team's system won't change much. We've faced France many times in the Nations League and World Cup, and I won't revisit previous World Cup meetings.

Does the team still have the desire for revenge, or at least want to beat them once?

We certainly want to win this match. In our last home game against them, we played well and even led by two goals, but we can perform even better. Now we have good momentum and have been in excellent form since the World Cup. The new coach and new system have started well, and we want to continue this positive trend. The key word over the past few days has been intensity.

Against France, are you determined to control possession and the game in their half?

Of course, it won't be easy; they have very strong players. When they have possession, pressing will be harder, but even if we drop back into a compact defense, we can maintain high intensity and prevent them from building attacks in our defensive third. Once we regain possession, we need to quickly transition forward. High intensity isn't just about pressing; it's about being aggressive in every tackle and every action on the pitch.

Can you evaluate two of your teammates: one is Hojbjerg, who recently joined the national team and plays in the Premier League; the other is Lukaku, who performed very well in Italy and became more prominent in France after moving to PSG? Were you surprised by his performance yesterday? How would you describe both teammates?

I wasn't surprised. He trained with the team last year, and his exceptional talent was already evident then. He also had many brilliant performances in the league last year. It's unfortunate he couldn't participate in the World Cup, but now he has proven his quality, and he deserves this opportunity. As for Hojbjerg, he's a top player. I really enjoy playing with him; communication is smooth, and he's always willing to help. He's physically strong and has great potential.

Barcola has tremendous talent, but Mbappé has stronger finishing ability. Will your preparation method be different?

I don't think so. Players have different characteristics, but defensively, our preparation approach is the same as when we face Mbappé.

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