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Belgium vs Tunisia | World Cup 2018, Group G | 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 today.
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
Start time
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 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.
Belgium vs Tunisia Prediction, Betting Tips and Preview
In the first outing of the day, Belgium will play Tunisia at the Otkrytiye Arena, Moscow. Judging by how their first round went, we are in for a real treat full chances, goals, and betting opportunities.
Belgium is placed first in their group with three points after the win over Panama. They won with the score of 3-0 and by doing so demonstrated just how good they are and what is to be expected from them in the remaining clashes. Their squad is filled with young and talented players and it is no wonder that they are ranked third by the FIFA national squad list.
Some of their players, like Lukaku, De Bruyne, and Eden Hazard proved to be amongst the best in the world in the previous match. The game started slow and in it the first half we have not seen any changes on the scoreboard. In the second, things started to heat up and as a result, we witnessed three goals. Mertens opened the goal-scoring sheet just two minutes into the second half and in the mid-portion of it, Lukaku added two goals of his own, thus setting the final result and securing all three points for his team. It is worth noting that the Red Devils are undefeated in last ten group phase games at World Cups.
A £200 Bet on Belgium to win to nil returns £400. Click here!
Tunisia was just a few moments away from winning a huge point against England on Monday evening, but their hopes were shattered by Harry Kane whose second goal of the game secured the win for England. The team led by Nabil Maaloul now needs a miracle against one of the biggest favorites for the crown, if they want to have the slightest chances of progressing from the Group G to the knock-out phase.
Maaloul has plenty of reasons to be worried by his team’s poor defensive reactions ahead of the clash with the all mighty Belgium. The Tunisians are winless in the last twelve World Cup matches with eight of those twelve being losses. In all honesty, they were lucky to hold the 1-1 score for that long. Their loss should have been by a bigger margin.
The two teams have played a total of two matches against each other. The first one occurred in in 2012 and ended as a 1-1 draw, and the most recent one was in 2014 when Belgium won by the score of 1-0. In that clash, Mertens scored in the final minutes of the game. Belgium was dominant in almost all aspects of the game and it was a miracle as to how they scored just one. They had fifteen shots on goal of which six were on target, compared to Tunisia’s seven shots, one of which was on target. There should be no big surprises in this meeting. If Tunisia doesn’t change their ways dramatically, which is really unlikely to happen, and Belgium play half-decent, the Red Devils should be able to take all three points. If Tunisia fails to secure a point from this game they will be eliminated from the competition.
Embed from Getty Images
Missing players
Belgium don’t have fresh injury worries before the match against Tunisia. Almost all players are fully fit and ready for the match on Saturday.
On the other side Tunisia also do not have lots of missing players for this game. Mouez Hassen is injured and he can’t play against Red Devils. All other players are fully fit and highly motivated to play aggressive from the first minute.
Possible starting lineups
Belgium: Courtois; Alderweireld, Boyata, Vertonghen, Meunier; De Bruyne, Witsel, Ferreira Carrasco, Mertens, Hazard; Lukaku
Tunisia: Ben Mustapha; Bronn, Ben Youssef, Menah, Maaloul; Skhiri, Sassi, Badri, Ben Youssef, Sliti; Khazri
Belgium vs Tunisia Prediction
Belgium take on Tunisia in Moscow on Saturday afternoon and this match Is going to be a true ticket booster game. Belgium play very well and they like to play offensive and attractive football. Belgium can book their place in the round of 16 with a victory and all players are highly motivated to do that. They eased passed Panama 3-0 in the previous game so we expect from them to play very cautious. Belgium haven’t lost a game since Robert Martinez’ first match in charge back in September 2016. On the other side this is a must win game for Tunisia and they will play aggressive from the first minute. They were so close from coming away with a point in their opening game against England and they showed that can be very dangerous opponent. Tunisia have scored with their only shot on target so far at this World Cup and if want to pick up some points from this game then have to play much better in attack. We expect from them to do that, and then Belgium will have a brilliant chance to score after fast winger attacks.
Our prediction and betting tips for the match Belgium vs Tunisia Prediction: Belgium to win. The Red Devils are absolute favourites to collect all three points from this game and we expect from them to score an early goal. It will be a true football fight for the points and we will see lots of midfield duels and fouls. Our second betting pick for the match is Belgium to win to nil.
A £200 Bet on Belgium to win to nil returns £400. Click here!
Belgium vs Tunisia Correct Score Prediction
Belgium scored a huge 43 goals in their ten World Cup qualifying games and usually scored at least two goals per match. We expect from them to score in both halves, but our risky bet goes on Correct score 3-0.
Belgium vs Tunisia Goalscorer Prediction
Romelu Lukaku have scored two goals on the first match and he will be highly motivated to score more on this World Cup. He is in a good run and we expect from him to score again. Bet on Lukaku to score and increase your betting payouts from this game. Have a nice betting day and good luck in earning money with our football prediction and betting tips.
Belgium vs Tunisia Bet
Belgium vs Tunisia Odds:
England will be keenly watching this game in hope that Belgium slip up against Tunisia. Harry Kane earned England the three points against the northern African side, whose tenacious defending could frustrate Belgium.
Eden Hazard accused his teammates of hiding against Panama and said Lukaku ‘went missing’ as Belgium laboured to a 3-0 win. Kevin De Bruyne and Hazard struggled to find space in attacking areas and Lukaku only had seven touches in the first half, which means Belgium will have to improve on their opening game performance if they want to increase their superior goal difference.
While their attack looked unbalanced, there were defensive issues too. Yannick Carrasco did an unconvincing job at left wing-back which could tempt Roberto Martinez to switch to a back four.
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Live Updates
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What time is it?
Belgium vs Tunisia kicks off on Saturday 23 June at 13:00 in Moscow’s Spartak Stadium.
World Cup: Belgium vs Panama player ratings 24 show all World Cup: Belgium vs Panama player ratings 1/24 Belgium AFP/Getty Images 2/24 Thibaut Courtois - 7 AFP/Getty Images 3/24 Toby Alderweireld - 7 AFP/Getty Images 4/24 Dedryck Boyata - 7 EPA 5/24 Jan Vertonghen - 7 AFP/Getty Images 6/24 Thomas Meunier - 6 Getty Images 7/24 Axel Witsel - 7 EPA 8/24 Kevin De Bruyne - 8 EPA 9/24 Yannick Carrasco - 7 REUTERS 10/24 Dries Mertens - 8 REUTERS 11/24 Eden Hazard - 8 AFP/Getty Images 12/24 Romelu Lukaku - 8 Getty Images 13/24 Panama AFP/Getty Images 14/24 Jaime Penedo - 6 REUTERS 15/24 Michael Amir Murillo - 5 AP 16/24 Roman Torres - 6 REUTERS 17/24 Fidel Escobar - 5 REUTERS 18/24 Erick Davis - 5 AFP/Getty Images 19/24 Gabriel Enrique Gomez - 6 AP 20/24 Edgar Yoel Barcenas - 6 REUTERS 21/24 Armando Cooper - 6 AP 22/24 Anibal Godoy - 6 AFP/Getty Images 23/24 Jose Rodriguez - 6 AFP/Getty Images 24/24 Blas Perez - 6 AFP/Getty Images 1/24 Belgium AFP/Getty Images 2/24 Thibaut Courtois - 7 AFP/Getty Images 3/24 Toby Alderweireld - 7 AFP/Getty Images 4/24 Dedryck Boyata - 7 EPA 5/24 Jan Vertonghen - 7 AFP/Getty Images 6/24 Thomas Meunier - 6 Getty Images 7/24 Axel Witsel - 7 EPA 8/24 Kevin De Bruyne - 8 EPA 9/24 Yannick Carrasco - 7 REUTERS 10/24 Dries Mertens - 8 REUTERS 11/24 Eden Hazard - 8 AFP/Getty Images 12/24 Romelu Lukaku - 8 Getty Images 13/24 Panama AFP/Getty Images 14/24 Jaime Penedo - 6 REUTERS 15/24 Michael Amir Murillo - 5 AP 16/24 Roman Torres - 6 REUTERS 17/24 Fidel Escobar - 5 REUTERS 18/24 Erick Davis - 5 AFP/Getty Images 19/24 Gabriel Enrique Gomez - 6 AP 20/24 Edgar Yoel Barcenas - 6 REUTERS 21/24 Armando Cooper - 6 AP 22/24 Anibal Godoy - 6 AFP/Getty Images 23/24 Jose Rodriguez - 6 AFP/Getty Images 24/24 Blas Perez - 6 AFP/Getty Images
Where can I watch it?
BBC will be showing the game live on BBC One and online.
Odds
Belgium: 1/3
Tunisia: 10/1
Draw: 4/1
Prediction
Belgium 2-0 Tunisia. Belgium eventually got their act together and managed to put three past Panama, and Tunisia are unlikely to repel their impressive attack. Tunisia held out for 91 minutes before Harry Kane scored a late winner, and it is conceivable that Belgium will hit Tunisia late in the game.
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