Belgium vs England – third place playoff

This fixture between the red devils and the three lions (Belgium vs England) is one match both teams would have loved to boycott. They both missed a ticket to the final match in the world cup as they lost in their respective semi-final clashes. Either of them would have to settle for a bronze medal.

Belgium

Losing by a lone goal to a defensively disciplined French side on Tuesday, the result wasn’t totally unexpected. It just brought some of the Belgians loopholes to the surface. The French defence was completely brilliant on the night as they stood their ground against everything that came their way. Roberto Martinez did not have a backup plan for his talent flooded side. Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne all put in brilliant performances but could thread through a perfect ball for the Romelu Lukaku.

Another huge factor that affected their game was the suspension of Thomas Meunier, as they had to with no right back. This forced the manager to alter his formation back to the traditional back four. Ultimately Kevin De Bruyne had a much deeper role to play rather than his usually menacing exploits in front of the opposition goal. Compared to their game against Brazil, this was just a poor performance. With Meunier back from suspension, Kevin De Bruyne will be loose yet again and that could have a huge impact on the final results.

England

Their semifinal clash against Croatia that saw them take the lead thanks to a brilliant set-piece from Kieran Trippier. Just like most teams that have lost a game they were dominating, they would learn to take their chances more often. They could have killed the game in the first half but they were wasteful. The second 45minutes became a totally different ball game as Croatia became more threatening while England shivered in defence.
Croatia mounted pressure, finally, it yielded a result as Ivan Persic stuck out a foot to stick in an equalizer. With both sides now level Croatia now breathing in relief, kept asking questions of the English defence. Mandzukic took advantage of a slight drop in the concentration of the English back line to fire in the winner. Hence, sending England to a third-place playoff against Belgium.

Expectations

This third place would not be contested the same way they would have if they had been in the finals. Nevertheless, we have two players both in contention for the golden boot, Kane leads the category with 6 goals while Romelu Lukaku has 4. Each of these players would be looking to at least head home with an individual accolade. And considering their exploits in England they should be able to hit the bulls’ eye.
We do expect both sides to find the back of the net as they engage in their last match at the Russia world cup. It is also worthy of note that every world cup game since 1974 has seen at least three goals. Shooting for an over 2.5 total goals should be a value selection.

Predicted Lineup

Belgium:

Courtois, Alderweireld, Kompany, Vertonghen, Meunier, Chadli, Witsel, Fellaini, De Bruyne, Hazard, Lukaku

England:

Pickford, Jones, Stones, Maguire, Alexander-Arnold, Rose, Dier, Alli, Lingard, Sterling, Kane

Head to head

Both sides have met earlier in the group stages as Belgium won that encounter by a lone goal. This would be the 21st meeting between the sides. Prior to this win, England has been unbeaten, winning 15 and drawing 5.

Pick

over 2.5 goals
odd 1.60