Match Previews
World Cup 2018
Round 3rd Place Play-off
Belgium
Last updated: Sat 14 July 2018 18:21Deflated after semi-final defeat. Likely to rotate the entire squad for this dead-rubber clash. The reserves already proved to be better than England’s in the group stage. T. Meunier back from ban. No injury concerns.
Belgium’s forwards struggled in the semi-final against France and despite it being a contest of very small margins the Red Devils deservedly lost 0:1 after Lukaku was kept quiet all night, while Eden Hazard had to drop very deep just to get the ball. In general the Belgians didn’t play very well in this match and naturally they are frustrated with themselves.
When Belgium and England met in the last round of the group stage both teams used reserves, with Belgium’s supporting cast easily dominating the match from start to finish and thanks to Januzaj’s goal winning 1:0.
Coach Martinez will make lots of changes to his line-up and all of Januzaj, Torgan Hazard, Boyata and Batshuayi should be amongst the starters. Some regulars might be involved too though. Meunier will be fresh after being suspended for the semi-final, while Mertens lost his place in the starting line-up for the knockout stage and he could be trusted from the off too.
It will be curious to see if Lukaku will be used, with the only reasoning for that to happen being that he is 2 goals behind Kane in the race for the Golden Boot.
Belgium don’t have any injury concerns, although fatigue and tiredness are major factors, especially for those players from the Premier League.
Martinez confirmed that Courtois will be given a starting place also this time around.
Haven’t lost a game under Martinez when scoring in a game. Belgium’s coach have just 2 defeats in his 26 games in charge.
England
Last updated: Sat 14 July 2018 18:21England lost 2-1 to Croatia in extra time despite their early lead. Will have to content themselves with 3rd place playoff fixture against Belgium. Young, Trippier and Henderson are doubtful.
England have all reasons to complain for the way things went against Croatia in the World Cup semifinal. In fact, they took an early lead and seemed to be in control of the game for at least 1 full hour. Having failed some great chances for killing the match off, though, they eventually run out of energies after the opponents' equaliser. Having gone one man down, due to injury, after Croatia's second goal in the second extra time, they simply could not react any more.
Pickford made another precious save but also some slight mistakes this time around. Walker, who seemed to be pretty nervous, made some huge blocks and clearances but holds some responsiblity for Croatia's equaliser. Trippier scored a fantastic free-kick and created several dangers. Young struggled on the left flank, being regularly outplayed by Vrsaljko and Rebic. Kane failed a couple of huge scoring chances and was never decisive.
England's defensive struggles proved that the clean sheet obtained against Sweden was just a flash in the pan. They scored their 9th goal in the competition thanks to a set piece.
If England finish in 3rd place it would be their best result in a World Cup since their triumph back in 1966 anyway. They will have to beat Belgium, though.
Trippier picked up an injury during the extra times and left his side with one man down: his conditions need to be verified. Henderson limped off the pitch due to a recurring hamstring issue and he is also a doubt. Young is also a slight issue.
Walker picked up his second yellow card in the competition but he will not be banned.
Rotation seems likely for this match.
Kane is competing for the Golden Boot, while Belgian Lukaku is his closest contender, having scored two goals less.
England already faced Belgium 22 times this far: they won 15, drew 4 and lost 3, scoring 73 goals and conceding 30. The two sides already met during the Group stage and the Three Lions lost 1-0.
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3-4-3 Previous Line Ups
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| T. Courtois | |||
| L. Dendoncker | |||
| D. Boyata | |||
| T. Vermaelen | |||
| T. Meunier | |||
| Y. Tielemans | |||
| M. Dembele | |||
| Y. Carrasco | |||
| A. Januzaj | |||
| M. Batshuayi | |||
| D. Mertens |
3-5-1-1 Previous Line Ups
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. Butland | |||
| P. Jones | |||
| G. Cahill | |||
| H. Maguire | |||
| T. Alexander-Arnold | |||
| R. Loftus-Cheek | |||
| F. Delph | |||
| E. Dier | |||
| D. Rose | |||
| M. Rashford | |||
| J. Vardy |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Mignolet | |||
| K. Casteels | |||
| V. Kompany | |||
| T. Alderweireld | |||
| J. Vertonghen | |||
| N. Chadli | |||
| K. de Bruyne | |||
| M. Fellaini | |||
| A. Witsel | |||
| T. Hazard | |||
| R. Lukaku | |||
| E. Hazard |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. Pickford | |||
| N. Pope | |||
| K. Walker | |||
| J. Stones | |||
| A.Young | |||
| D. Alli | |||
| J. Lingard | |||
| R. Sterling | |||
| J. Henderson | |||
| D. Welbeck | |||
| H. Kane |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| T. Courtois | |||
| L. Dendoncker | |||
| D. Boyata | |||
| T. Vermaelen | |||
| T. Meunier | |||
| Y. Tielemans | |||
| M. Dembele | |||
| Y. Carrasco | |||
| A. Januzaj | |||
| M. Batshuayi | |||
| D. Mertens |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. Mignolet | |||
| K. Casteels | |||
| V. Kompany | |||
| T. Alderweireld | |||
| J. Vertonghen | |||
| N. Chadli | |||
| K. de Bruyne | |||
| M. Fellaini | |||
| A. Witsel | |||
| T. Hazard | |||
| R. Lukaku | |||
| E. Hazard |
England
Last updated: Sat 14 July 2018 18:21England lost 2-1 to Croatia in extra time despite their early lead. Will have to content themselves with 3rd place playoff fixture against Belgium. Young, Trippier and Henderson are doubtful.
England have all reasons to complain for the way things went against Croatia in the World Cup semifinal. In fact, they took an early lead and seemed to be in control of the game for at least 1 full hour. Having failed some great chances for killing the match off, though, they eventually run out of energies after the opponents' equaliser. Having gone one man down, due to injury, after Croatia's second goal in the second extra time, they simply could not react any more.
Pickford made another precious save but also some slight mistakes this time around. Walker, who seemed to be pretty nervous, made some huge blocks and clearances but holds some responsiblity for Croatia's equaliser. Trippier scored a fantastic free-kick and created several dangers. Young struggled on the left flank, being regularly outplayed by Vrsaljko and Rebic. Kane failed a couple of huge scoring chances and was never decisive.
England's defensive struggles proved that the clean sheet obtained against Sweden was just a flash in the pan. They scored their 9th goal in the competition thanks to a set piece.
If England finish in 3rd place it would be their best result in a World Cup since their triumph back in 1966 anyway. They will have to beat Belgium, though.
Trippier picked up an injury during the extra times and left his side with one man down: his conditions need to be verified. Henderson limped off the pitch due to a recurring hamstring issue and he is also a doubt. Young is also a slight issue.
Walker picked up his second yellow card in the competition but he will not be banned.
Rotation seems likely for this match.
Kane is competing for the Golden Boot, while Belgian Lukaku is his closest contender, having scored two goals less.
England already faced Belgium 22 times this far: they won 15, drew 4 and lost 3, scoring 73 goals and conceding 30. The two sides already met during the Group stage and the Three Lions lost 1-0.
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| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. Butland | |||
| P. Jones | |||
| G. Cahill | |||
| H. Maguire | |||
| T. Alexander-Arnold | |||
| R. Loftus-Cheek | |||
| F. Delph | |||
| E. Dier | |||
| D. Rose | |||
| M. Rashford | |||
| J. Vardy |
| Player | Rat. | Pos. | No. |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. Pickford | |||
| N. Pope | |||
| K. Walker | |||
| J. Stones | |||
| A.Young | |||
| D. Alli | |||
| J. Lingard | |||
| R. Sterling | |||
| J. Henderson | |||
| D. Welbeck | |||
| H. Kane |