FIFA World Cup 2018, Day 23: Today’s match schedule, teams and timings

FIFA World Cup 2018 full schedule for Day 23: Quarterfinals time table in IST, venues with complete fixtures for the showpiece tournament in Russia.

Representative Image: Without Edinson Cavani, Uruguay will not be the favourite against France.

Uruguay vs France

Diego Laxalt is confident Uruguay is strong enough as a defensive unit to deal with France forward Kylian Mbappe in Friday's World Cup quarterfinal. Mbappe scored twice in a standout display in the 4-3 win over Argentina in the last 16 , helping Didier Deschamps' side reach the last eight for the third time in the past four World Cup finals.

The 19-year-old's performance, coupled with France's general strength in depth in attack, makes it favourite to overcome Oscar Tabarez's team in Nizhny Novgorod, even though Uruguay has lost only one of the last eight meetings. The Euro 2016 finalist is unbeaten in nine World Cup games against South American opponents, keeping clean sheets in seven of those, and the spirited win over Argentina showcased the formidable strength it has going forward.

With Edinson Cavani unlikely to be fully fit for the game, having suffered a muscle injury in the 2-1 win over Portugal, Uruguay's chances appear to be growing slimmer. However, Uruguay has won seven matches in a row and conceded only once in that time, and Laxalt is confident it can use that defensive solidity to see off France, even if only one half of the fearsome forward partnership of Cavani and Luis Suarez is available.

Brazil vs Belgium

Roberto Martinez has given Brazil a huge indication as to how Belgium will approach its World Cup quarterfinal on Friday, acknowledging a need for "power" which could result in Marouane Fellaini starting.

Belgium scraped through its last-16 clash with Japan by scoring in second-half stoppage time — Nacer Chadli finishing off a devastating counter-attack to wrap up a 3-2 win after Martinez's side had fallen 2-0 behind.

The turn of the tide seemed to coincide with Fellaini and Chadli coming on in the 65th minute, giving Belgium more of a physical edge than it had previously with Dries Mertens and Yannick Carrasco, as both substitutes found the net. And Martinez has given a strong hint that Fellaini could feature in his starting XI when Belgium face Brazil in the last eight in Kazan.

• Quarterfinals: Uruguay vs France, 1930 IST, Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod.
• Quarterfinals: Brazil vs Belgium, 2330 IST, Kazan Arena, Kazan.

Both matches will be broadcast live on SONY ESPN, TEN 1, and TEN 2.