England vs Belgium: Who will grab top spot in Group G?
Both England and Belgium will be battling for top spot in Group G as they lock horns at Kaliningrad’s Stadion Baltika on Thursday evening.
The Three Lions and the Red Devils have predictably qualified for the next round, but as they’re both tied on six points, this game will prove decisive who heads into the round of 16 as winners and who ends up as runners-up.
This game could also have major repercussions on how far England and Belgium get at this summer’s World Cup. Why? Well, a look at the bracket shows that one side is clearly a tougher path than the other to the final.
One half of this summer’s bracket includes Portugal, Uruguay, Argentina, France, Brazil, Mexico, plus the winners of Group G and the runners-up in Group H. The other half? Well, there’s 2010 World Cup champions Spain, hosts Russia, Croatia, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, the runner-up in Group G and the winner of Group H.
Suffice it to say, there’s one bracket that seems a lot more appealing than the other. Without a shadow of a doubt, it’s the one that features the likes of Russia, Croatia, and Sweden. Now, that’s not to say that anyone will want to deliberately lose this contest, but finishing in second isn’t such a bad thing as far as this tournament is concerned.
As expected, England and Belgium have been cruising along comfortably. With opponents like debutants Panama for company, as well as an ambitious Tunisia side who are talented – but out of their depth – everyone expected it to be the European duo to book their knockout round spots.
Belgium cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win over Panama, followed by a 5-2 thrashing of Tunisia. England, meanwhile, did labor a bit against Tunisia, needing a late goal from Harry Kane to seal three points, but steamrolled Panama in a resounding 6-1 victory. However, Jordan Pickford will be a bit disappointed he wasn’t able to keep a clean sheet in either contest, especially in the tie with Panama where he had little to do.
It remains to be seen if either Roberto Martinez or Gareth Southgate will decide to go all-out or will approach the game the way that Denmark and France did. Reports indicate that Harry Kane, who scored a hat-trick against Panama, could be dropped in favor of Jamie Vardy, so there’s a sign that Southgate could tinker with his starting XI. Meanwhile, Romelu Lukaku, another candidate for the Golden Shoe, is struggling with an injury and is not likely to be risked for this game – especially with Belgium already having qualified.
