The quarterfinal between France and Uruguay on Friday is a story of reunions of club teammates, of friendship and of familiar faces. As will be the case in the Brazil-Belgium game, this is a match in which the two teams have the most matchups and the most links in common.
The biggest one of all, obviously, is coming from Atletico Madrid. Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez, Antoine Griezmann and Lucas Hernandez have been playing together for years under Diego Simeone. Godin has been a mentor to Hernandez, while becoming Griezmann's best friend and his daughter's godfather. Gimenez and Hernandez are also very close.
Blaise Matuidi has only played one season with Rodrigo Bentancur at Juventus, but the Frenchman, suspended on Friday, has been really impressed by Uruguay's boy wonder. "He is a great talent at such a young age," said the former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder.
Edinson Cavani might be restricted to the bench on Friday due to injury, even if the French have prepared as if he were starting, but his reunion with his PSG teammates -- Alphonse Areola, Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe -- will be a nice one. Even if Griezmann is Cavani's biggest fan among the French squad, Mbappe has learned a lot last season from the Uruguayan.
Finally, Luis Suarez and Samuel Umtiti, together at Barcelona for the past two seasons, will face each other for the first time. "I've always joked ... that I wanted to face Umtiti at a World Cup," Suarez said. "And it came true." After Lionel Messi, the French defender squares up to another Barca player, hoping to do as well this time around as he did a few days ago.
All those players have texted their club teammates about facing each other. All week, tips have also been flowing in each camp on the qualities and the flaws of each club teammate.
Matuidi has told Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante everything about Bentancur. Cavani has briefed Diego Laxalt and all the Uruguayan defence on Mbappe. Umtiti and Raphael Varane have spoken at length about how to mark Suarez. Godin and Gimenez have shared all their knowledge of Griezmann with Fernando Muslera and especially his shooting pattern and preferences. Areola has also mentioned how Cavani moves and finishes in front of goal to Hugo Lloris, just in case he plays some part in the game.
Didier Deschamps and Oscar Tabarez also have history. The France head coach's first game in charge of the national team, back in August 2012, was a friendly against Uruguay and their current manager. The 0-0 draw was boring, but Deschamps relished the tactical challenge offered by his counterpart. On Friday, it will be his 81st match on France's bench and the tactical challenge from Tabarez will be as strong as ever.
France last played Uruguay at a World Cup in 2010 in South Africa; it finished 0-0. Tabarez was already there, but Deschamps was not. Only Lloris, Muslera, Martin Silva, Maxi Pereira, Suarez, Godin, Cavani and Martin Caceres are still there today.
More recently, however, Les Bleus have been triumphant over their quarterfinal opponent.
In the summer of 2013, France -- led by Pogba, Umtiti, Areola and Florian Thauvin -- beat Uruguay to the Under-20 World Cup on penalties after a tense final. Gimenez, Laxalt, Guillermo Varela, Gaston Silva and Giorgian De Arrascaeta were on the losing side that day. All five are in Russia five years later.
Even the referee, Nestor Pitana, is familiar with France. The Argentinean doesn't represent a good memory for the French: he was in charge of the 2014 quarterfinal in Brazil, when Les Bleus lost to Germany 1-0.
There will be smiles, hugs and kisses during the warmup and in the tunnel before the game. However, once the referee blows his whistles for kickoff, there will be no more friends or club teammates. Only 22 players, and 24 for more on the benches, determined to get to the semifinals and to leave behind their friendship for the duration of the game.