French center-back William Saliba has fired a warning shot at Belgian defender Wout Faes ahead of the two European giants' round of 16 showdown in Euro 2024.
Les Bleus will face the Red Devils in the knockout stage after finishing as runners-up in Group D behind unexpected winners Austria. Meanwhile, the Red Devils finished second in Group E, meaning these two sides will battle it out for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Leicester center-back Faes, who started in all three group-stage matches for Belgium, stated that they are not afraid of the French following their goalless draw with Ukraine in their Group E finale.
However, this comment sparked a response from Saliba during an interview with RMC Sport. The Frenchman, who is yet to concede a goal in open play this tournament, fired back a warning shot at his Premier League counterpart, telling the Belgian international: "We will see on Monday".
"We are not afraid of Belgium, we are not afraid of anyone," the Arsenal start told RMC Sport.
"If Faes is not afraid, good for him, we will see on Monday."
After back-to-back stellar seasons with Arsenal, Saliba has officially forced his way into Deschamps' starting eleven. The former St. Etienne talent has partnered Dayot Upamecano in all three games and appears destined to start in Monday's round of 16 tie.
However, while this is an exciting fixture on paper, neither team has impressed in Euro 2024 so far. The French have not yet scored a goal from open play, relying on an Austrian own goal in their opener, with Kylian Mbappe's penalty in the 1-1 draw with Poland being their only other goal.
Kevin de Bruyne and Co. only won once as well, beating Romania 2-0 on Matchday 2 following their 1-0 loss to Slovakia in their opening game. The winner of this tie will face either Portugal or Slovenia in the quarterfinals.