All about the Belgium Team at Football World Cup 2018
Belgium became the first European nation to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup that will take place in Russia between June 14th and July 15th. The team will be heading into the 2018 showpiece hoping to improve on its 2014 performance where it was unexpectedly eliminated in the quarterfinals by Argentina. Roberto Martinez will also be looking forward to helping the country win the title for the first time in its history. Belgium was drawn in group G alongside the 1966 winners England, Tunisia, and Panama. The team will kick off its campaign on June 18th at Sochi stadium when they face Panama before they face Tunisia on June 23rd at Moscow Spartak and finally England on June 28th at Kaliningrad stadium.
Tips for Betting on Belgium in the World Cup 2018
Belgium will surely be a team to watch in the 2018 FIFA world cup. Starting at the group stages, perhaps, it is only England the will present a worthy opponent for the Red Devils. Their smooth sail through the qualification matches was a clear indicator that the current Belgium side was on a mission to achieve something significant at the world cup showpiece. Their group matches against Panama and Tunisia should be an easy walkover, and you can bet Belgium as outright winners. Their final group stage match against Gareth Southgate’s boys will present a real test to the Belgium side, and if they can emerge as victors, then it will be a warning to their next opponents if they qualify for the next round.
Group H does not have a lot of the fear factor, and the draw directly favours Belgium and England. The game between Belgium and England will come at a time when both teams will have faced Tunisia and Panama, so hopefully, the clash will only be to determine who qualifies as the group winners. Roberto Martinez adapts an attacking approach which favours the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, and Dries Mertens. We expect lots of goals from the Belgium side and a high number of corners in their matches.
Romelu Lukaku is the sharpshooter in the Belgium side and teams will need to be on the watch out since he is most likely going to benefit a lot from the supply line featuring Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne. We also expect teams playing against Belgium to be extra careful on how they handle the stars to avoid being sent off for silly mistakes. However, you can expect a high number of yellow cards for opposing players and a few to the Belgium players.
Betting Odds on Belgium to Win the World Cup 2018
Although Germany and Brazil have been tipped as the favourites to win this year’s FIFA World Cup, Belgium stands a good chance of being crowned winners if they utilise their star-laden squad well. Belgium has never won the title, but it has qualified for 12 World Cup competitions which make it one of the few teams that have featured prominently in the championship.
Expected Belgium Lineup at the World Cup
Belgium proved that they were a team which could do anything at any time when they beat Greece 2-1 to qualify for the World Cup as the first European nation. The two goals came within a time frame of five minutes with the first goal coming courtesy of Jan Vertonghen in the 70th minute. Although Zeca managed to equalise for the Greeks three minutes later, it didn’t take long before Romelu Lukaku handed the Red Devils a much-deserved victory in the 74th minute. Thibaut Courtois was in top form denying the home side an early lead when he deflated off an early kick from Goncalves Rodrigues.
We expect few changes to be made on the team that featured heavily in the qualification stages. We can be sure of some names that will be kept on the team come next summer. Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku are in top form for their respective clubs. So far, Kevin has become the focal point of the Manchester City that remained unbeaten in 23 English premier league games while Romelu Lukaku has scored 12 league goals for Manchester United since the start of the 2017-2018 season. Eden Hazard has had a dip in form, but he is still a massive player for Chelsea while Thibaut Courtois remains a world-class goalkeeper.
Marouane Fellaini is also an important player in the Manchester United squad although a knee injury has kept him out of the team for a significant amount of time while Mousa Dembele seems to be doing well at Barcelona. We don’t expect surprise changes in the Belgium squad that will be travelling to Russia for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. We expect the preliminary squad to include the following players.
Goalkeepers and defenders
- Thibaut Courtois (GK)
- Simon Mignolet (GK)
- Toby Alderweireld
- Thomas Vermaelen
- Jan Vertonghen
- Thomas Meunier
- Vincent Kompany
Midfield
- Marouane Fellaini
- Mousa Dembele
- Yannick Ferreira Carrasco
- Kevin De Bruyne
- Eden Hazard
- Dries Mertens
- Nacer Chadli
- Kevin Mirallas
- Youri Tielemans
Forwards
- Romelu Lukaku
- Michy Batshuayi
- Christian Benteke
- Divock Origi
Roberto Martinez has always relied on the 3-4-2-1 formation whenever he needs his team to perform well, but he also favours the 4-3-2-1 formation. The Belgium football team is organised around the creative midfielders and its attacking strength. The Red Devils are also known to produce magnificent counter-attacks with the speed and creativity of Jan Vertonghen, Kevin De Bruyne, and Eden Hazard. This is how we expect the team to line-up in terms of the defence, midfield, and attack.
Thibaut Courtois is expected to retain his place as the number one stopper deputised by the Liverpool stopper Simon Mignolet. Courtois has been outstanding producing some incredible performances doe both his country and club in England.
Robert Martinez has mostly favoured a back line of three, but sometimes he switches to four. The Belgium team relies on Thomas Vermaelen as its centre-back with Toby Alderweireld playing on his right and Jan Vertonghen on the left. We also expect that Vincent Company can finally find his way back to the team that will be travelling to Russia.
Belgium has a star-laden midfield comprising of the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Marouane Fellaini, Eden Hazard, and Mousa Dembele. Kevin, Eden, and Mousa have been outstanding and will be competing for a place in the first eleven team members. The other midfielders that will also be in contestation for a starting place slot in the national team include; Yannick, Ferreira Carrasco, Leander, Dendoncker, Radja Nainggolan, Axel Witsel, Dries Mertens, and Youri Tielemans.
Romelu Lukaku who is also the country’s top talisman will be leading the attack in Russia. Although he doesn’t face any serious competitive threat for the starting slot in the team, Christian Benteke, Michy Batshuayi, and Divock Origi will be hoping to travel to Russia and at least find some playing time.
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Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne has transformed into a massive player for Manchester City under Pep Guardiola. He has been the focal point of the team that remained unbeaten in 23 matches in the English premier league. So far, he has the highest number of Assists in the league, and he is one of the few players who can turn around the game at any time.
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Eden Hazard
Eden Hazard is another master-class in the Belgium squad and pundits have compared him to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi in the recent past. He was so much influential in the Chelsea team that clinched the English Premier League title last season and the urge to be a better player is still evident in him. He is good and providing assists and can shoot with both of his legs!
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