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Belgium vs Tunisia | World Cup 2018, Group G | Saturday, June 23 | Spartak Stadium
Roberto Martinez's Belgium can all but clinch their place in the last 16 of the World Cup when they take on Tunisia on Saturday.
The Red Devils strolled to a 3-0 win against Panama without ever getting out of second gear, and face a Tunisia side who slipped to a late defeat against England.
The Tunisians frustrated England for long periods, and Belgium will have to be alert to their opponents' physicality and speed on the counter to avoid an upset,
Scroll down for Standard Sport's comprehensive preview...
Group E P W D L F A Pts Belgium 1 1 0 0 3 0 3 England 1 1 0 0 2 1 3 Tunisia 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 Panama 1 0 0 1 0 3 0
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In Pictures | Fifa World Cup 2018 65 show all In Pictures | Fifa World Cup 2018 1/65 Neymar sobs on the pitch after scoring late on in Brazil's 2-0 win over Costa Rica AFP/Getty Images 2/65 Messi reacts as Croatia celebrate during their 3-0 drubbing of Argentina AFP/Getty Images 3/65 Mile Jedinak celebrates after snatching a point for Australia REUTERS 4/65 Kylian Mbappe's strike puts France into the last 16 REUTERS 5/65 How's your luck? Diego Costa closes in on Cristiano Ronaldo after ball bounces in off him. AP 6/65 Uruguay's Luis Suarez holds his head during their 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia REUTERS 7/65 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo shoots at goal from a free kick Reuters 8/65 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo EPA 9/65 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo scores a goal Reuters 10/65 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their first goal Reuters 11/65 England's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group G match vs Tunisia at Volgograd Arena Getty Images 12/65 Japan fans celebrate at the Mordovia Arena, Saransk, Russia Reuters 13/65 Russia's midfielder Roman Zobnin and Artem Dzyuba celebrate the opening goal during their Group A football match vs Egypt at the Saint Petersburg Stadium AFP/Getty Images 14/65 Brazil's Neymar falls during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group El match vs Switzerland at the Rostov Arena AFP/Getty Images 15/65 Japan's Eiji Kawashima concedes a goal scored by Colombia's Juan Fernando Quintero Reuters 16/65 Japan's forward Yuya Osako (centre) celebrates after scoring a goal during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group H match vs Colombia AFP/Getty Images 17/65 Colombia's midfielder James Rodriguez dejected after theor 201 loss vs Japan AFP/Getty Images 18/65 Russia's defender Ilja Kutepov hitting an acrobatic bicycle kick AFP/Getty Images 19/65 Senegal fans cheer in the stands at the Spartak Stadium, Moscow, Russia Reuters 20/65 Poland's midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak (right) scores a header vs Senegal AFP/Getty Images 21/65 England celbrate Harry Kane's first goal Reuters 22/65 England's Harry Kane of England scoring the winning goal va Tunisia EPA 23/65 Rebekah Vardy, the wife of England's Jamie Vardy watches the game in the stands with their daughter Megan Jeremy Selwyn 24/65 England's forward Harry Kane scores his team's first goal AFP/Getty Images 25/65 England manager Gareth Southgate Reuters 26/65 Belgium's Dries Mertens reacts as he vies for the ball with Panama's Jose Luis Rodriguez and Erick Davis during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group G match at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi AFP/Getty Images 27/65 Sweden'S Albin Ekdal challenges for the ball with Korea Republic'S Jang Hyun-Soo during theIR 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group F match at Nizhniy Novgorod Stadium Getty Images 28/65 Mexico's Hirving Lozano celebrates with Jesus Gallardo after scoring his team's first goal during their 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group F match vs Germany at Luzhniki Stadium Getty Images 29/65 A Germany fan looks dejected after their 1-0 defeat by Mexico Reuters 30/65 Thomas Mueller of Germany following his sides defeat in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group F match between Germany and Mexico at Luzhniki Stadium Getty Images 31/65 Switzerland's Steven Zuber levels the score vs Brazil AP 32/65 Switzerland's Steven Zuber goal Getty Images 33/65 A woman poses by a mural of England's Harry Kane with words King Harry written in Russian near the fan fest centre of Volgograd ahead of his team's opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia PA 34/65 Brazil's Philippe Coutinho celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during their Group E match vs Switzerland AP 35/65 Switzerland's goalkeeper Yann Sommer watches the ball fly past him by Brazil's forward Philippe Coutinho (not in picture) during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group E match at the Rostov Arena AFP/Getty Images 36/65 Costa Rica's goalkeeper Keylor Navas punches the ball away from Serbia's Branislav Ivanovic (centre) during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group E match at the Samara Arena AFP/Getty Images 37/65 Australian players protest as referee Andres Cunha from Uruguay decides on penalty after consulting with the VAR during theIr Group C match vs France AP 38/65 Iceland's Hannes Halldorsson saves a penalty from Argentina's Lionel Messi during their FIFA World Cup 2018 Group D match in Moscow, Russia EPA 39/65 Argentina Lionel Messi misses a penalty during their FIFA World Cup 2018 Group D match vs Iceland in Moscow, Russia EPA 40/65 Argentina's Lionel Messi reacts Reuters 41/65 Denmark 's Yussuf Yurary Poulsen celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group C match vs Peru a at Mordovia Arena 42/65 Peru's Edison Flores in acton vs Denmark's Henrik Dalsgaard EPA 43/65 A Russian fan kisses a replica of the FIFA 2018 World Cup trophy AFP/Getty Images 44/65 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring his third goal vs Spain Reuters 45/65 Sam Morsy of Egypt and Edinson Cavani of Uruguay battle for possession during their 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group A match at Ekaterinburg Arena in Yekaterinburg, Russia Getty Images 46/65 Achilles the cat predicts a win for Russia vs Saudia Arabia AP 47/65 Fans in the stands watching Morocco vs Iran Reuters 48/65 England manager Gareth Southgate and England's Harry Kane receive gifts before training Reuters 49/65 Egypt's Mohamed Salah looks on during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group A match vs Uruguay at Ekaterinburg Arena Getty Images 50/65 Rigobert Youmbi from Cameroon poses for a photo wearing body paint in the Russian colours AP 51/65 Amr Warda of Egypt attempts an overhead kick Getty Images 52/65 Russia's midfielder Yuri Gazinskiy celebrates scoring the opening goal with his teammates during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group A football match vs Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow AFP/Getty Images 53/65 Robbie Williams performs during the opening ceremony Reuters 54/65 Artist perform during the opening ceremony Getty Images 55/65 An entertainer performs during the opening ceremony Reuters 56/65 Spain's coach Julen Lopetegui days before their first match AFP/Getty Images 57/65 Members of the England squad line up for a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Grenfell tower fire before a training session AP 58/65 Serbian hairdresser Mario Hvala creates a hair tattoo showing the portrait of Argentinian football player Lionel Messi on the head of a football fan in Novi Sad, Serbia AFP/Getty Images 59/65 Former player player Ronaldo during the opening ceremony Reuters 60/65 A view of the video assistant refereeing (VAR) operation room of the 2018 World Cup International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Moscow, Russia, EPA 61/65 Brazil's Neymar (not in frame) and Gabriel Jesus (C) break an egg on the head of teammate Philippe Coutinho as they celebrate his birthday during a training session at Sochi Municipal Stadium AFP/Getty Images 62/65 FIFA President Gianni Infantino, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for cameras at the FIFA congress on the eve of the opener of the 2018 soccer World Cup in Moscow, Russia AP 63/65 Colombia soccer fans cheer near the Red Square in Moscow, Russia EPA 64/65 England's midfielder Jesse Lingard takes part in a training session in Stadium Spartak in Zelenogorsk AFP/Getty Images 65/65 General view of the stadium as fans celebrate the opening goal scored by Iury Gazinsky of Russia during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Getty Images 1/65 Neymar sobs on the pitch after scoring late on in Brazil's 2-0 win over Costa Rica AFP/Getty Images 2/65 Messi reacts as Croatia celebrate during their 3-0 drubbing of Argentina AFP/Getty Images 3/65 Mile Jedinak celebrates after snatching a point for Australia REUTERS 4/65 Kylian Mbappe's strike puts France into the last 16 REUTERS 5/65 How's your luck? Diego Costa closes in on Cristiano Ronaldo after ball bounces in off him. AP 6/65 Uruguay's Luis Suarez holds his head during their 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia REUTERS 7/65 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo shoots at goal from a free kick Reuters 8/65 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo EPA 9/65 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo scores a goal Reuters 10/65 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring their first goal Reuters 11/65 England's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring his team's second goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group G match vs Tunisia at Volgograd Arena Getty Images 12/65 Japan fans celebrate at the Mordovia Arena, Saransk, Russia Reuters 13/65 Russia's midfielder Roman Zobnin and Artem Dzyuba celebrate the opening goal during their Group A football match vs Egypt at the Saint Petersburg Stadium AFP/Getty Images 14/65 Brazil's Neymar falls during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group El match vs Switzerland at the Rostov Arena AFP/Getty Images 15/65 Japan's Eiji Kawashima concedes a goal scored by Colombia's Juan Fernando Quintero Reuters 16/65 Japan's forward Yuya Osako (centre) celebrates after scoring a goal during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group H match vs Colombia AFP/Getty Images 17/65 Colombia's midfielder James Rodriguez dejected after theor 201 loss vs Japan AFP/Getty Images 18/65 Russia's defender Ilja Kutepov hitting an acrobatic bicycle kick AFP/Getty Images 19/65 Senegal fans cheer in the stands at the Spartak Stadium, Moscow, Russia Reuters 20/65 Poland's midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak (right) scores a header vs Senegal AFP/Getty Images 21/65 England celbrate Harry Kane's first goal Reuters 22/65 England's Harry Kane of England scoring the winning goal va Tunisia EPA 23/65 Rebekah Vardy, the wife of England's Jamie Vardy watches the game in the stands with their daughter Megan Jeremy Selwyn 24/65 England's forward Harry Kane scores his team's first goal AFP/Getty Images 25/65 England manager Gareth Southgate Reuters 26/65 Belgium's Dries Mertens reacts as he vies for the ball with Panama's Jose Luis Rodriguez and Erick Davis during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group G match at the Fisht Stadium in Sochi AFP/Getty Images 27/65 Sweden'S Albin Ekdal challenges for the ball with Korea Republic'S Jang Hyun-Soo during theIR 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group F match at Nizhniy Novgorod Stadium Getty Images 28/65 Mexico's Hirving Lozano celebrates with Jesus Gallardo after scoring his team's first goal during their 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group F match vs Germany at Luzhniki Stadium Getty Images 29/65 A Germany fan looks dejected after their 1-0 defeat by Mexico Reuters 30/65 Thomas Mueller of Germany following his sides defeat in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group F match between Germany and Mexico at Luzhniki Stadium Getty Images 31/65 Switzerland's Steven Zuber levels the score vs Brazil AP 32/65 Switzerland's Steven Zuber goal Getty Images 33/65 A woman poses by a mural of England's Harry Kane with words King Harry written in Russian near the fan fest centre of Volgograd ahead of his team's opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia PA 34/65 Brazil's Philippe Coutinho celebrates after scoring his side's opening goal during their Group E match vs Switzerland AP 35/65 Switzerland's goalkeeper Yann Sommer watches the ball fly past him by Brazil's forward Philippe Coutinho (not in picture) during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group E match at the Rostov Arena AFP/Getty Images 36/65 Costa Rica's goalkeeper Keylor Navas punches the ball away from Serbia's Branislav Ivanovic (centre) during their Russia 2018 World Cup Group E match at the Samara Arena AFP/Getty Images 37/65 Australian players protest as referee Andres Cunha from Uruguay decides on penalty after consulting with the VAR during theIr Group C match vs France AP 38/65 Iceland's Hannes Halldorsson saves a penalty from Argentina's Lionel Messi during their FIFA World Cup 2018 Group D match in Moscow, Russia EPA 39/65 Argentina Lionel Messi misses a penalty during their FIFA World Cup 2018 Group D match vs Iceland in Moscow, Russia EPA 40/65 Argentina's Lionel Messi reacts Reuters 41/65 Denmark 's Yussuf Yurary Poulsen celebrates after scoring his team's first goal during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group C match vs Peru a at Mordovia Arena 42/65 Peru's Edison Flores in acton vs Denmark's Henrik Dalsgaard EPA 43/65 A Russian fan kisses a replica of the FIFA 2018 World Cup trophy AFP/Getty Images 44/65 Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates scoring his third goal vs Spain Reuters 45/65 Sam Morsy of Egypt and Edinson Cavani of Uruguay battle for possession during their 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Group A match at Ekaterinburg Arena in Yekaterinburg, Russia Getty Images 46/65 Achilles the cat predicts a win for Russia vs Saudia Arabia AP 47/65 Fans in the stands watching Morocco vs Iran Reuters 48/65 England manager Gareth Southgate and England's Harry Kane receive gifts before training Reuters 49/65 Egypt's Mohamed Salah looks on during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group A match vs Uruguay at Ekaterinburg Arena Getty Images 50/65 Rigobert Youmbi from Cameroon poses for a photo wearing body paint in the Russian colours AP 51/65 Amr Warda of Egypt attempts an overhead kick Getty Images 52/65 Russia's midfielder Yuri Gazinskiy celebrates scoring the opening goal with his teammates during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group A football match vs Saudi Arabia at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow AFP/Getty Images 53/65 Robbie Williams performs during the opening ceremony Reuters 54/65 Artist perform during the opening ceremony Getty Images 55/65 An entertainer performs during the opening ceremony Reuters 56/65 Spain's coach Julen Lopetegui days before their first match AFP/Getty Images 57/65 Members of the England squad line up for a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the Grenfell tower fire before a training session AP 58/65 Serbian hairdresser Mario Hvala creates a hair tattoo showing the portrait of Argentinian football player Lionel Messi on the head of a football fan in Novi Sad, Serbia AFP/Getty Images 59/65 Former player player Ronaldo during the opening ceremony Reuters 60/65 A view of the video assistant refereeing (VAR) operation room of the 2018 World Cup International Broadcast Centre (IBC) in Moscow, Russia, EPA 61/65 Brazil's Neymar (not in frame) and Gabriel Jesus (C) break an egg on the head of teammate Philippe Coutinho as they celebrate his birthday during a training session at Sochi Municipal Stadium AFP/Getty Images 62/65 FIFA President Gianni Infantino, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin pose for cameras at the FIFA congress on the eve of the opener of the 2018 soccer World Cup in Moscow, Russia AP 63/65 Colombia soccer fans cheer near the Red Square in Moscow, Russia EPA 64/65 England's midfielder Jesse Lingard takes part in a training session in Stadium Spartak in Zelenogorsk AFP/Getty Images 65/65 General view of the stadium as fans celebrate the opening goal scored by Iury Gazinsky of Russia during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Getty Images
Belgium face Tunisia at Spartak Stadium, Moscow, with kick-off scheduled for 1pm BST.
TV, online and live stream coverage
In Pictures | Tunisia vs England, World Cup | 18.06.2018 48 show all In Pictures | Tunisia vs England, World Cup | 18.06.2018 1/48 Jeremy Selwyn 2/48 REUTERS 3/48 PA 4/48 EPA 5/48 REUTERS 6/48 AP 7/48 PA 8/48 REUTERS 9/48 AP 10/48 AP 11/48 PA 12/48 PA 13/48 REUTERS 14/48 AP 15/48 AFP/Getty Images 16/48 AFP/Getty Images 17/48 PA 18/48 REUTERS 19/48 REUTERS 20/48 AP 21/48 REUTERS 22/48 PA 23/48 REUTERS 24/48 REUTERS 25/48 EPA 26/48 AP 27/48 REUTERS 28/48 AP 29/48 EPA 30/48 REUTERS 31/48 REUTERS 32/48 REUTERS 33/48 PA 34/48 REUTERS 35/48 REUTERS 36/48 AFP/Getty Images 37/48 Getty Images 38/48 Getty Images 39/48 PA 40/48 PA 41/48 AFP/Getty Images 42/48 AP 43/48 REUTERS 44/48 REUTERS 45/48 PA 46/48 PA 47/48 PA 48/48 REUTERS 1/48 Jeremy Selwyn 2/48 REUTERS 3/48 PA 4/48 EPA 5/48 REUTERS 6/48 AP 7/48 PA 8/48 REUTERS 9/48 AP 10/48 AP 11/48 PA 12/48 PA 13/48 REUTERS 14/48 AP 15/48 AFP/Getty Images 16/48 AFP/Getty Images 17/48 PA 18/48 REUTERS 19/48 REUTERS 20/48 AP 21/48 REUTERS 22/48 PA 23/48 REUTERS 24/48 REUTERS 25/48 EPA 26/48 AP 27/48 REUTERS 28/48 AP 29/48 EPA 30/48 REUTERS 31/48 REUTERS 32/48 REUTERS 33/48 PA 34/48 REUTERS 35/48 REUTERS 36/48 AFP/Getty Images 37/48 Getty Images 38/48 Getty Images 39/48 PA 40/48 PA 41/48 AFP/Getty Images 42/48 AP 43/48 REUTERS 44/48 REUTERS 45/48 PA 46/48 PA 47/48 PA 48/48 REUTERS
The match will be televised live on BBC One. Viewers can stream the match online via the BBC iPlayer.
You will be able to follow the match with Standard Sport's dedicated LIVE blog.
Prediction
Betting tips via Betfair | UK users only | Odds subject to change
Belgium to win 3-0: 8/1
Romelu Lukaku to score first: 11/4
Kevin De Bruyne to score: 10/3
Over 4.5 goals: 11/2
Click here to find the latest match odds and place a bet.
Head to head
In Pictures | Belgium vs Panama, World Cup | 18/06/2018 27 show all In Pictures | Belgium vs Panama, World Cup | 18/06/2018 1/27 AFP/Getty Images 2/27 AFP/Getty Images 3/27 REUTERS 4/27 AFP/Getty Images 5/27 AFP/Getty Images 6/27 REUTERS 7/27 AP 8/27 REUTERS 9/27 REUTERS 10/27 REUTERS 11/27 AFP/Getty Images 12/27 EPA 13/27 AP 14/27 REUTERS 15/27 REUTERS 16/27 REUTERS 17/27 AFP/Getty Images 18/27 EPA 19/27 AFP/Getty Images 20/27 REUTERS 21/27 REUTERS 22/27 REUTERS 23/27 AFP/Getty Images 24/27 REUTERS 25/27 REUTERS 26/27 REUTERS 27/27 EPA 1/27 AFP/Getty Images 2/27 AFP/Getty Images 3/27 REUTERS 4/27 AFP/Getty Images 5/27 AFP/Getty Images 6/27 REUTERS 7/27 AP 8/27 REUTERS 9/27 REUTERS 10/27 REUTERS 11/27 AFP/Getty Images 12/27 EPA 13/27 AP 14/27 REUTERS 15/27 REUTERS 16/27 REUTERS 17/27 AFP/Getty Images 18/27 EPA 19/27 AFP/Getty Images 20/27 REUTERS 21/27 REUTERS 22/27 REUTERS 23/27 AFP/Getty Images 24/27 REUTERS 25/27 REUTERS 26/27 REUTERS 27/27 EPA
The two nations have faced each other three times, with a friendly win apiece as well as a draw - and that 1-1 result came in the 2002 World Cup.
Team news
Belgium have no injury concerns to contend with, with Roberto Martinez pleased that the Red Devils have been "boring" regarding team news so far.
Tunisia's first-choice goalkeeper Mouez Hassen is out of the tournament after injuring his shoulder against England. Farouk Ben Mustapha is set to start in his absence.
Predicted starting line-ups
Belgium XI: Courtois, Alderweireld, Boyata, Vertonghen, Meunier, De Bruyne, Witsel, Carrasco, Mertens, Eden Hazard, Lukaku
Tunisia XI: Tunisia: ben Mustapha, Meriah, Syam Ben Youssef, Bronn, Maaloul, Skhiri, Badri, Sassi, Fakhreddine Ben Youssef, Khazri, Sliti
Full World Cup fixture schedule
Belgium vs Tunisia betting tips: World Cup match preview & predictions
Belgium vs Tunisia 101 Great Goals prediction: Belgium 2-0 Tunisia
Roberto Martinez’s Belgium side made a strong start to their World Cup campaign following a convincing 3-0 win over Panama in their opening game.
Panama proved a tricky force to break down, however, Belgium remained composed and their talented attacking force finally found a way through.
Belgium will face a similar test on Saturday with Tunisia planning to frustrate the Reds Devils.
Incredible Belgium vs Tunisia World Cup free bet offers
Belgium vs Tunisia betting tips: who will win?
The Red Devils taking three points and remaining top of Group G is valued at 1/3.
Tunisia earning a point against Belgium is at 9/2.
Bet365 have the African nation claiming a surprise three points at 10/1.
Belgium vs Tunisia match preview
The Reds Devils’ squad has been much talked about in the build-up to the competition with great anticipation for them to do well with players like Eden Hazard, Kevin de Bruyne and Dries Mertens.
In past tournaments, the nation’s ‘golden generation’ have been deemed as very underwhelming, however, with their star men hitting the peak years of their career this could finally be the year Belgium go far in a major competition.
A Romelu Lukaku brace and a stunning strike from Mertens helped Belgium to kick off their 2018 World Cup campaign with a 3-0 win over Panama.
With Germany having lost to Mexico, Brazil being held with Switzerland and Argentina taking just one point from their first two games, the top sides having been dropping big points demonstrating that Belgium’s win should not be underestimated.
Tunisia are now fighting to remain in Russia having suffered defeat to England in cruel fashion, as Harry Kane scored a winning goal in the 91st-minute to snatch a point away from the Eagles.
However, manager Nabil Maâloul should take great encouragement from his side’s performance against England, with Tunisia showing great resilience for long periods.
Belgium team news vs Tunisia
Captain Vincent Kompany will miss the game with an injury, while Michy Batshuayi and Thomas Vermaelen are both doubts.
Tunisia team news vs Belgium
Tunisia’s first-choice goalkeeper Mouez Hassen has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup suffering a shoulder injury against England.
Belgium predicted starting line-up vs Tunisia
Tunisia predicted starting line-up vs Belgium
Belgium vs Tunisia World Cup 2018 official videos
Next obstacle: Tunisia! We are a small nation but we all look in the same direction to be strong together 👀💪🏻🇧🇪 #WorldCup #BelTun #REDTOGETHER pic.twitter.com/JlotJ19WrK — Simon Mignolet (@SMignolet) 21 June 2018
The best #worldcup video out there is this Tunisian piece of art, combining subtle political messages, dark humour, and passion for the game. #Tun pic.twitter.com/dI7IBwi7p6 — Ibrahim Halawi (@Ibrahimhalawi) June 18, 2018
All odds mentioned in this article are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Click here for more World Cup betting tips
Sports Mole provides team news, predicted lineups and a full match preview for Saturday's World Cup Group G clash between Belgium and Tunisia in Moscow.
Belgium could move to the brink of qualification for the last 16 of the World Cup when they take on Tunisia at the Okritie Arena in Moscow on Saturday.
Roberto Martinez's side were one of the biggest winners on matchday one with a 3-0 triumph over Panama, whereas Tunisia fell to a heartbreaking late defeat at the hands of England.
Belgium
© Reuters
In a tournament of shocks and underdogs upsetting some of the established big boys, Belgium's 3-0 victory over Panama on matchday one stood out as a more notable result than it otherwise might have.
The Red Devils avoided the pitfalls which befell Argentina against a tournament debutant in their opening match, and as a result they find themselves in control of Group G.
Another victory in this match would leave them on the verge of the last 16 with a game to spare, although they will need to wait until at least Sunday - when England take on Panama - to discover whether it will go down to their last match.
Wins for both Belgium and England would confirm both teams' places in the knockout rounds and set up a showdown for top spot between the two group heavyweights, although with the topsy-turvy nature of the World Cup so far it is difficult to determine whether winning the group would actually be a disadvantage at this stage.
As the third-ranked country in the world, Belgium would fancy their chances against any team in the latter stages of the tournament, but the common consensus is that they will need to improve on their opening showing if they are to live up to their billing.
A frustrating first half left lingering feelings of unfulfillment amongst the Belgian fans despite their eventual three-goal win, and against a Tunisian team renowned for being difficult to beat it is likely going to need a more complete display to pick up another win on Saturday.
Starting slowly is a problem which Belgium have suffered from at recent World Cups too, with each of their last 11 goals at the tournament having come after half time.
However, it is important not to lose sight of the fact that any three-goal victory at the World Cup is a good result, and Belgium are now unbeaten in their last 10 World Cup group games, including victories in each of their last five.
Belgium are also unbeaten in 20 games across all competitions stretching back to September 2016 - the second-longest streak at this World Cup behind only Spain - scoring 67 goals in that time at an average of more than three per game.
Martinez's star players also started to find their rhythm in the second half of the win over Panama, with Romelu Lukaku scoring twice and both Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard helping themselves to assists.
There is a level of expectation surrounding this Belgian team, though - one unbefitting of their modest World Cup history but understandable considering the talent at their disposal - and it may take more than just a narrow win on Saturday to convince some of the more demanding fans, even if it is enough to qualify for the knockout rounds.
Recent form: W
Recent form (all competitions): WWDWWW
Tunisia
© Reuters
Few would argue that Tunisia deserved more from their opening fixture against England, but the nature of their late defeat would have been difficult to take for the African nation.
The Carthage Eagles withstood some heavy pressure in the first half and somehow went into the break all square, benefiting from a dubious penalty after England had missed a host of clear chances.
There was minimal attacking intent from Tunisia after Ferjani Sassi's 35th-minute spot kick, with that proving to be their only shot on target of the match, but they will likely need to throw more caution to the wind with their World Cup campaign now hanging in the balance.
Defeat to Belgium could confirm their World Cup exit with a game still to spare should England also overcome Panama, while even a draw would leave them in deep trouble unless Panama were to pull off an almighty shock on Sunday.
Going out to win games could prove to be a suicidal task against a Belgian team boasting so much creative talent, but Tunisia will need to risk allowing the likes of De Bruyne and Hazard the space to flourish should they find themselves behind going into the final half-hour or so.
Winning games at a World Cup has also proven to be a particularly difficult task for Tunisia; they are now on a 12-game winless run at the competition which stretches all the way back to 1978.
Indeed, the only team to have suffered a longer winless run in World Cup history is South Korea, who went 14 games from 1954 to 1998, so the formbook is very much against Tunisia ahead of what looks like their most difficult group game on paper.
It would take a major upset for the African nation to keep their last-16 hopes alive, then, but this tournament has not been lacking for those and Tunisia did at least ensure that they had experience of playing against some of the world's best teams in the buildup to the World Cup.
A come-from-behind draw against Portugal and narrow late defeat to Spain threw up results which would not be of great use to Tunisia on Saturday, but the performances in both matches - in addition to their close miss against England - would have offered some encouragement to Nabil Maaloul's side.
Recent form: L
Recent form (all competitions): WWDDLL
Team News
© Reuters
Belgium have no new injury concerns for this match and so could name an unchanged side from the win over Panama.
Lukaku will lead the line again following his brace in the opening fixture, and one more goal would see him level with Jan Ceulemans as the highest-scoring Belgian at major tournaments with six.
Hazard is also a man in form having directly contributed to 16 goals in his last 15 games for his country, scoring eight times and assisting eight more.
Tunisia will be forced into at least one change after goalkeeper Mouez Hassan damaged his shoulder early on against England, bringing a premature end to his tournament.
Farouk Ben Mustapha is expected to replace him in the starting lineup, although Maaloul is likely to keep changes to a minimum elsewhere.
Belgium possible starting lineup:
Courtois; Alderweireld, Boyata, Vertonghen; Meunier, De Bruyne, Witsel, Carrasco; Mertens, Lukaku, E Hazard
Tunisia possible starting lineup:
Ben Mustapha; Bronn, S Ben Youssef, Meriah, Maaloul; F Ben Youssef, Sassi, Skhiri, Badri, Sliti; Khazri
Head To Head
This will be the fourth meeting between the two sides, and as things stand the head-to-head record is evenly matched at one win apiece and one draw.
Belgium won the most recent meeting in 2014, with Dries Mertens scoring the only goal of the World Cup warm-up game in Brussels, while Tunisia's solitary victory came in 1992.
These two sides have met before at a World Cup too, with their 2002 Group H clash ending all square at 1-1.
We say: Belgium 2-1 Tunisia
Tunisia should put up a sterner fight than Panama, but Belgium still have the quality to overcome them. At one point or another Tunisia will need to throw caution to the wind, and that could suit the Red Devils.
Belgium and Tunisia square off in an important Group G fixture on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. ET in the 2018 World Cup. Belgium enters as the leaders of Group G and will look to inch closer to the Round of 16 with a victory at Spartak Stadium. Belgium is a -300 favorite on the money line against Tunisia, meaning you'd need to wager $300 on a Belgian victory to win $100. Tunisia enters this fixture at +920 (risk $100 to win $920), while a draw is +380. The Over-Under on total goals scored in this 2018 World Cup match is 2.5. Belgium has 8-1 World Cup odds to win it all, while Tunisia is 2,000-1.
Before you make your 2018 World Cup picks, you need to see what European football expert David Sumpter has to say.
Sumpter is an applied mathematician who wrote "Soccermatics," the book that shows how math works inside the game. Together with experienced analysts, Sumpter developed the powerful Soccerbot model.
The Soccerbot reads all team performance data, calculates key metrics and predicts upcoming matches. In the two-and-a-half seasons since it was born, the Soccerbot is up an impressive 1,800 percent on bookmakers' closing odds.
The Soccerbot already called Argentina-Iceland ending in a draw (+385), Brazil-Switzerland playing to a draw (+360), Iran (+275) upsetting Morocco and Senegal (+220) topping Poland, just to name a few of its spot-on 2018 World Cup picks.
Now, Sumpter's model has examined Belgium-Tunisia and generated money-line and over-under picks.
We can tell you he's leaning over, but his more confident pick is on the money line. He's only sharing it over at SportsLine.
Sumpter knows Belgium enters this match full of confidence after scoring three goals in the second half against Panama in its opener. Romelu Lukaku scored twice in Belgium's victory and will look to continue his superb form with a strong performance against Tunisia. In fact, Lukaku has scored 15 goals in his last 10 international matches.
This will be the second time Belgium and Tunisia have met at the World Cup, and the previous meeting ended in a 1-1 draw. If Belgium can secure three points against Tunisia, it will all but stamp its ticket to the Round of 16. Belgium has made it past the opening group stage in six of its last seven World Cup appearances.
But Tunisia, making its fifth World Cup appearance, showed in its opener that it won't be intimidated by a European heavyweight. Ferjani Sassi's penalty shot tied England 1-1 in the 35th minute. The Eagles of Carthage then dug in defensively and were moments away from earning a draw until Harry Kane's header in extra time.
Led by creative midfielder Wahbi Khazri, Tunisia thrives on the counter-attack. The Eagles of Carthage know they can play with Europe's best: They played Portugal to a 2-2 draw and lost narrowly to Spain in their final World Cup tuneups before the near-miss against England.
So which hungry nation wins Saturday? Or does it end in a draw? Visit SportsLine now to see the strong Belgium-Tunisia money-line pick, all from a European football expert whose powerful model is up 1,800 percent in less than three years.
