The action continues as France will look to move one step closer to winning the 2014 World Cup title when they take on African champions Nigeria in the last 16 on Monday at the Nacional in Brazil.

France, who finished first in Group E after winning against Honduras and Switzerland before ending their group stage campaign with a draw against Ecuador, will be a favorite heading into their knockout match Monday.

Karim Benzema has been on target for Le Bleus in the Brazil tournament, scoring three goals in their first three games to prove that he is still their main scoring option after a long drought for France.

"Benzema has extraordinary movement which underpins the team's play," said France coach Didier Deschamps. "We have always focused on his contribution apart from his goals, which is something that doesn't happen elsewhere."

Deschamps is expected to make changes for Monday's match, possibly fielding his best XI from the get-go, but it will all depend on Mamadou Sakho's availability for the match. The center back remains doubtful for the Nigeria match due to leg muscle problem.

Nigeria, on the other hand, will look to prove that their reaching the second round for the first time since 1998 is no fluke as they try to take down one of the tournament favorites.

Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi is optimistic that his team will be up to the challenge in their upcoming game, saying that the upsets and close games involving top teams in the tournament proved that anything can happen in this year's tournament.

"It has been a very open tournament. You can never predict what will happen. Look at the Netherlands game [against Mexico] and what happened. Even Brazil are not guaranteed anything. It's been a wonderful tournament," Keshi said via Yahoo! Sports UK.

Nigeria will look to prevent France from creating scoring opportunities, with Ahmed Musa saying that defense is their top priority on Monday.

"We need to defend well, take our chances up front," Musa said.

It will be interesting to see how 31-year-old goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama will hold up against France's attacking trio composed of Benzema, Olivier Giroud, and Mathieu Valbuena.

Schedule, Date, Where to Watch

The knockout showdown between France and Nigeria will kick off at 12 p.m. EST Monday and will be shown on ESPN. Fans can catch all World Cup 2014 matches on WatchESPN.

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