England
vs
Belgium
Kick-off
18:00 GMT
28 June 2018
With 12 of nations already through to the last 16 stage of the FIFA World Cup, Thursday’s fixture between Belgium and England isn’t a matter of who will go through but more in which order. With two wins from two, both countries have cemented places in the next round.
England and Belgium are two nations that certainly aren’t new to each other on the footballing stage. It’s not a fixture that tends to favour Belgium as they haven’t beaten England since 1936 and have never beaten them at a World Cup. They have met twice at a World Cup, the first meeting ended 4-4 in 1954 and the second was won 1-0 by the English at Italia 90. The last fixture between the two came in June 2012 where Danny Welbeck’s goal was enough to secure a 1-0 win.
After missing the game against Panama, Dele Alli seems to be fit again and ready to start against Belgium. He may feature in a team unrecognisable to the one from Sunday as wholesale changes won’t be a surprise.
Latest matches: England
24.06.2018 | ![]() |
England | Panama | 6:1 | W |
18.06.2018 | ![]() |
Tunisia | England | 1:2 | W |
07.06.2018 | ![]() |
England | Costa Rica | 2:0 | W |
02.06.2018 | ![]() |
England | Nigeria | 2:1 | W |
27.03.2018 | ![]() |
England | Italy | 1:1 | D |
Belgium’s two star players so far, Romelu Lukaku and Eden Hazard, are both carrying minor injuries so aren’t expected to be risked against England while a host of other stars might miss out in order to gain some prolonged rest.
Latest matches: Belgium
23.06.2018 | ![]() |
Belgium | Tunisia | 5:2 | W |
18.06.2018 | ![]() |
Belgium | Panama | 3:0 | W |
11.06.2018 | ![]() |
Belgium | Costa Rica | 4:1 | W |
06.06.2018 | ![]() |
Belgium | Egypt | 3:0 | W |
02.06.2018 | ![]() |
Belgium | Portugal | 0:0 | D |
With it seeming as though a 2nd-place finish in Group G is more beneficial than finishing top, it could be a truly awful game of football with neither side wanting, or trying, to win. With yellow cards being the key factor as to which side will finish 1st, expect to see plenty of bookings in a match where a draw is by far the most likely outcome.
28 June 2018 - 18:00 GMT
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