Belgium vs England Preview

Belgium and England suffered heartbreaks in their semifinal matches to setup this third place playoff in Russia, but these teams can hold their heads high and be proud of how far they have come.

The Belgians were one of the dark horses of the competition but we all felt that they lacked a little bit of experience in these situations even though they have a solid tactician in Roberto Martinez as their manager.

After winning all their group games, they faced Japan in the round of 16.

They were 2 goals down immediately after half time and looked like they were going to exit the tournament, however, a tactical switch that saw them go longer with the ball helped them come back to win the game 3-2 without needing extra time.

They faced Brazil in their quarterfinal game and yet another tactical masterclass undid the Brazilians and Belgium won the game 2-1 despite coming under serious pressure from the Brazilians throughout the second half.

They faced France in their semifinal game and the game was a cagey affair with the French men defending deep and relying on the pace a trickery of Kylian Mbappe to break Belgium’s defence.

They lost the game by a lone goal scored by Samuel Umtiti.

This game offers them the chance to win third place and with several of their players in the twilight of their careers, they may never come this far again anytime soon.

England exceeded expectations when they reach the semifinal of this year’s World Cup and they should return home to a heroes’ welcome.

The Three Lions came to the competition without many star men yet Gareth Southgate’s men won their way to the semifinal before suffering heartbreak.

After they beat Tunisia and Panama in their group stage they reached the knockout stage where they played Colombia.

They beat the Colombians in penalties before meeting Sweden quarterfinals.  England beat the Swedes 2-0 to set up a semifinal against Croatia.

Croatia won 2-1 in extra time and that game showed us that this team, as fast and exciting as they are, are still a work in progress.

England lost to Croatia mostly due to a lack of experience and tired legs.

These teams rested their star men when they faced each other in the group stage however we can expect the real battle to take place as they battle it out for third place.

Bookmakers favour Belgium to come out on top in this game and claim third place.

Results of each team’s last 5 matches across all leagues and competitions

Belgium

LAST FIVE GAMES						DATE	COMPETITION
L	France		1-0		Belgium	10 Jul, 2018	FIFA World Cup
W	Brazil		1-2		Belgium	6 Jul, 2018	FIFA World Cup
W	Belgium		3-2		Japan	2 Jul, 2018	FIFA World Cup
W	England		0-1		Belgium	28 Jun, 2018	FIFA World Cup
W	Belgium		5-2		Tunisia	23 Jun, 2018	FIFA World Cup

England

LAST FIVE GAMES						DATE	COMPETITION
L	Croatia		2-1		England	11 Jul, 2018	FIFA World Cup
W	Sweden		0-2		England	7 Jul, 2018	FIFA World Cup
W	Colombia		1-1		England	3 Jul, 2018	FIFA World Cup
L	England		0-1		Belgium	28 Jun, 2018	FIFA World Cup
W	England		6-1		Panama	24 Jun, 2018	FIFA World Cup

H2H

DATE	COMPETITION
England		0-1		Belgium	28 Jun, 2018	FIFA World Cup