Two nations chasing World Cup glory will do battle today in a match between France and Nigeria. The 2014 World Cup Round of 16 match scheduled for 12 p.m. ET will be held at the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia and can be live streamed here free. A free Spanish language stream of the match can be found here. Free radio coverage here. Additional TV coverage can be found on ESPN, Univision and ESPN Deportes.
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With a victory today, France will all but ensure a showdown with Germany in the quarterfinals. Head coach Didier Deschamps, however, is asking for complete focus. Looking past Nigeria could prove to be costly.
"My only concern is Nigeria in the last 16 and to make sure with my staff that we prepare the players for battle tomorrow [Monday]," Deschamps said (via FIFA). "There's no point looking beyond that. Our rendezvous is tomorrow at one o'clock [local time]."
"It's not like the group phase where you can make amends," he added. "The verdict falls at the end of the match. It's a cup configuration, it's the second phase of the competition. We prepare for the matches with the same seriousness, but at the end, either you stay or you go home."
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Tactical Preview
Player to Watch: Carrying his club form to Brazil, France's Karim Benzema had a sensational group stage. The 26-year-old finished all three matches with three goals, two assists and averaged four key passes per match. He'll look to unlock the Nigerian defense this afternoon.
France's Projected Lineup (4-3-3): Lloris; Evra, Sakho, Koscielny, Sagna; Cabaye, Matuidi, Pogba; Benzema, Giroud, Valbuena
Nigeria's Projected Lineup (4-2-3-1): Enyeama; Elderson, Oboabona, Omeruo, Ambrose; Onazi, Mikel; Moses, Musa, Odemwingie; Emenike
Note: Credit all statistics to officially licensed data from Opta Sports (via WhoScored).
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