The battle for the top of Group G looks like it will be a close one. Both England and Belgium have already qualified for the round of 16 with decisive victories over both Panama and Tunisia.
England had a rocky start to the competition when they faced Tunisia, managing to pull off a win with a late goal from skipper Harry Kane. The team looked much better when they faced Panama, putting away five goals before the end of the first half.
Belgium will be far and away the biggest challenge that England will face in the group stage of the competition. Their team is packing a lot of star power, big Premier League names like Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard, and Kevin De Bruyne pack a punch for the Belgian national side.
Follow all the live action below…
Live Updates
Read more...
Please allow a moment for the blog to load…
What time is it?
England vs Belgium kicks off at 19:00 at the Kaliningrad Stadium.
Where can I watch it?
Live coverage is available on ITV and online via the ITV Hub.
Odds
England: 17/10
Belgium: 15/8
Draw: 2/1
Prediction
This game will be a close one. England will need to bring the level of play that they brought for last week’s game against Panama. The Belgian side has been very impressive in the competition so far and is among the favourites to win the trophy.
Follow the Independent Sport on Instagram here, for all of the best images, videos and stories from around the sporting world.
England and Belgium meet in Kaliningrad on Thursday to decide who will finish first and second in World Cup Group G.
The two sides currently have already qualified for the knockout stage and have identical records - the same number of points, the same goal difference and the same number of goals scored.
Gareth Southgate’s side only sit top on fair play points, having received one fewer yellow card than their Belgian counterparts.
What happens if England win?
If England beat Belgium, they win Group G.
Likewise, if Belgium beat England, Belgium win Group G and England will finish second.
What if it is a draw?
If England and Belgium draw, first and second place will be decided by fair play points. England, with -2 fair play points, currently lead Belgium, who have -3.
England vs Panama World Cup player ratings 22 show all England vs Panama World Cup player ratings 1/22 England: Jordan Pickford 7 Had very little to do, and was an observer of England’s scoring antics alongside the rest of us Getty 2/22 Kyle Walker 7 Slightly unsure playing out from the back at times, but put in a good last-ditch tackle to deny Perez from close range Getty 3/22 John Stones 8 Showed his aerial ability to get two goals, and one of the better England defenders in possession Getty 4/22 Harry Maguire 7 Good going forward, but could be shaky in possession against better opposition Getty 5/22 Kieran Trippier 7 Great movement combining with Loftus-Cheek, and a couple of great deliveries from set pieces Getty 6/22 Ruben Loftus-Cheek 7 Combined well with Trippier and had a confident start on his full debut. Downside that he picked up a yellow card in the first half Getty 7/22 Jordan Henderson 8 A leader without the armband, Henderson looked confident and assured in possession Getty 8/22 Ashley Young 7 Had little to do defensively but looked good going forward. Will face much tougher tests facing his own goal. Getty 9/22 Jesse Lingard 9 England’s best player in the first half, fouled for the penalty, and scored a brilliant goal. Growing into his own talent. Getty 10/22 Raheem Sterling 7 Average once again, unlucky not to score from the well-worked free kick routine for goal number four for England. Getty 11/22 Harry Kane 8 Kept his calm from the penalty spot and led England from the front. Could be huge going forward against tougher opposition Getty 12/22 Panaman: Jaime Penedo 6 Tried to put off Harry Kane for both penalties and failed. Could do little about the rest of the goals and spent most of the game picking the ball out of his net. Getty 13/22 Michael Murillo 5 One of many to earn himself a yellow card after a poor foul on Raheem Sterling, and not at all comfortable in possession Getty 14/22 Roman Torres 5 The captain led with the unsporting antics from the front. Looked out of his depth as did the rest of his defence. Getty 15/22 Fidel Escobar 5 At fault for the foul that resulted in a penalty, and looked unable to cope with Harry Kane and co Getty 16/22 Eric Davis 5 One of many to have a lack of discipline and a very short fuse, poor. Getty 17/22 Gabriel Gomez 5 An experienced figure that struggled with the pace of the game, and the English attacking talent Getty 18/22 Edgar Barcenas 6 One of the better players for Panama but was taken off just as the game began to open up Getty 19/22 Armando Cooper 5 Another to have poor discipline and earned himself a booking, lacked quality as did many others Getty 20/22 Anibal Godoy 6 Had an early chance which he blasted wide, but did get into decent positions and could pose a threat for Tunisia Getty 21/22 Jose Luis Rodriguez 6 Offered some flashes of talent going forward, but struggled with his final ball Getty 22/22 Blas Perez 6 Had little to feed off going forward, could have had a tap in if it wasn’t for Kyle Walker’s intervention Getty 1/22 England: Jordan Pickford 7 Had very little to do, and was an observer of England’s scoring antics alongside the rest of us Getty 2/22 Kyle Walker 7 Slightly unsure playing out from the back at times, but put in a good last-ditch tackle to deny Perez from close range Getty 3/22 John Stones 8 Showed his aerial ability to get two goals, and one of the better England defenders in possession Getty 4/22 Harry Maguire 7 Good going forward, but could be shaky in possession against better opposition Getty 5/22 Kieran Trippier 7 Great movement combining with Loftus-Cheek, and a couple of great deliveries from set pieces Getty 6/22 Ruben Loftus-Cheek 7 Combined well with Trippier and had a confident start on his full debut. Downside that he picked up a yellow card in the first half Getty 7/22 Jordan Henderson 8 A leader without the armband, Henderson looked confident and assured in possession Getty 8/22 Ashley Young 7 Had little to do defensively but looked good going forward. Will face much tougher tests facing his own goal. Getty 9/22 Jesse Lingard 9 England’s best player in the first half, fouled for the penalty, and scored a brilliant goal. Growing into his own talent. Getty 10/22 Raheem Sterling 7 Average once again, unlucky not to score from the well-worked free kick routine for goal number four for England. Getty 11/22 Harry Kane 8 Kept his calm from the penalty spot and led England from the front. Could be huge going forward against tougher opposition Getty 12/22 Panaman: Jaime Penedo 6 Tried to put off Harry Kane for both penalties and failed. Could do little about the rest of the goals and spent most of the game picking the ball out of his net. Getty 13/22 Michael Murillo 5 One of many to earn himself a yellow card after a poor foul on Raheem Sterling, and not at all comfortable in possession Getty 14/22 Roman Torres 5 The captain led with the unsporting antics from the front. Looked out of his depth as did the rest of his defence. Getty 15/22 Fidel Escobar 5 At fault for the foul that resulted in a penalty, and looked unable to cope with Harry Kane and co Getty 16/22 Eric Davis 5 One of many to have a lack of discipline and a very short fuse, poor. Getty 17/22 Gabriel Gomez 5 An experienced figure that struggled with the pace of the game, and the English attacking talent Getty 18/22 Edgar Barcenas 6 One of the better players for Panama but was taken off just as the game began to open up Getty 19/22 Armando Cooper 5 Another to have poor discipline and earned himself a booking, lacked quality as did many others Getty 20/22 Anibal Godoy 6 Had an early chance which he blasted wide, but did get into decent positions and could pose a threat for Tunisia Getty 21/22 Jose Luis Rodriguez 6 Offered some flashes of talent going forward, but struggled with his final ball Getty 22/22 Blas Perez 6 Had little to feed off going forward, could have had a tap in if it wasn’t for Kyle Walker’s intervention Getty
How does the fair play points system work?
Yellow card: -1
Red card for two yellows: -3
Straight red card: -4
Yellow card and straight red card: -5
What if they are level on fair play points?
If England and Belgium cannot be separated by fair play points, first and second place will be decided by the drawing of lots.
In this case, is it better to finish second than first?
Arguably, yes. Finishing second in Group G will, on paper, offer a more favourable path to next month’s Moscow final than finishing first.
Whereas Group G’s winners would be likely to face Brazil in a potential quarter-final, the runners-up would come against either Switzerland or Sweden in the last eight.
Also, in a prospective semi-final, Group G’s winners would play either Uruguay, Portugal, France or Argentina. The runners-up, meanwhile, would face one of Spain, Russia, Croatia or Denmark.
What are England’s potential paths to the final?
Brackets denote ELO rating - a up-to-date variation of the new world rankings system Fifa will incorporate following this summer’s World Cup.
A lower total rating indicates a more ‘difficult’ path to the final. England’s current ELO rating is 4.
If England win the group…
Round of 16: Colombia (10), Japan (33) or Senegal (21)
Quarter-finals: Mexico (19) or Brazil (1)
Semi-finals: Uruguay (9), Portugal (5), France (3) or Argentina (11)
Total ELO rating: 112
If England finish second…
Round of 16: Colombia (10), Japan (33) or Senegal (21)
Quarter-finals: Sweden (17) or Switzerland (12)
Semi-finals: Spain (2), Russia (45), Croatia (8) or Denmark (15)
Total ELO rating: 163
Follow the Independent Sport on Instagram here, for all of the best images, videos and stories from around the sporting world.
ENGLAND manager Gareth Southgate will make NINE changes for the Group G decider against Belgium.
Skipper Harry Kane is OUT as the Three Lions boss looks ahead to the latter stages with England assured of a place in the last-16.
AP:Associated Press Gareth Southgate will make NINE changes for England's Group G decider against Belgium
The likely England XI to play Beglium in Kaliningrad tonight
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and centre-back John Stones are the only two players to keep their place from the 6-1 destruction of Panama.
Phil Jones and Gary Cahill will replace Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire in the back three, with Danny Rose and Trent Alexander-Arnold coming in at wing-back for Ashley Young and Kieran Trippier.
Teenage starlet Alexander-Arnold, 19, only made his senior international debut in the World Cup warm-up game against Costa Rica.
Eric Dier replaces Jordan Henderson as the midfield enforcer, while Southgate will leave it late whether to pick Fabian Delph or Dele Alli in Jesse Lingard's spot.
AP:Associated Press England goal hero Harry Kane will be rested for the match, with Jamie Vardy taking his place
PA:Press Association Jordan Pickford and John Stones are the only two players keeping their place from the Panama win
Likely England line-up vs Belgium Jordan Pickford Phil Jones John Stones Gary Cahill Trent Alexander-Arnold Eric Dier Fabian Delph/Dele Alli Danny Rose Danny Welbeck Jamie Vardy Marcus Rashford
Alli played in the opener against Tunisia, but was not fit enough to play against Panama.
Up top Vardy replaces five-goal hero Kane, with Danny Welbeck and Marcus Rashford alongside him.
Raheem Sterling and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are the final two players to be rested.
Debate has been raging over whether England should try and win and top the group, or allow Belgium - who will also rest a host of players - to finish first.
Getty Images Jamie Vardy, who came on as a sub during the 6-1 win over Panama, will replace five-goal hero Harry Kane
If England finish top they would face a tougher route to the final after the last-16.
In the next round England face one of Senegal, Japan or Colombia, depending on how results play out this afternoon.
But if England top Group G, Brazil, Portugal, Uruguay, France, Argentina and Mexico all lie in wait on that side of the draw.
Two of those would need to be beaten for Southgate's men to reach the July 15 final.
Preview of World Cup Group G clash between England and Belgium in Kaliningrad
But a first-placed finish will probably mean meeting Brazil in the quarters
Finishing second in Group G would offer a much more gentle route to the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
Southgate's Three Lions would face Sweden or Switzerland in the quarter-final, if they progress, with Spain likely their most difficult opponent in the semi.
Russia, Croatia and Denmark are also on that side of the draw.
England legends Alan Shearer and Ian Wright firmly believe Gareth Southgate has to try and win tonight, even if that means a tough road to Moscow.
Alan Shearer and Ian Wright both believe England should go all out to beat Belgium and top Group G
Speaking to Shaun Custis, Shearer said: "I’ll tell you how to approach it, the same way as any other game.
"You go out and win it and top the group. Keep the momentum going, keep the players in the groove.
"I’ve never heard anything more ludicrous in all my life than people trying to plot whether we should finish first or second.
"It’s absolute nonsense. Win the group and whoever you face you face."
England NOT trying to finish second GARETH SOUTHGATE will be making changes for tonight’s game against Belgium but will still be desperate to win. Do not buy into the theory the Three Lions will be happy to finish second - that is rubbish. Belgium, who have been together years, may think they can take this approach and clock back together for the knockout stages despite a poor result, but England's inexperienced squad needs to keep piecing together decent results regardless of who is playing. As Southgate said yesterday, England have not won a knockout game at a major tournament since 2006, so anyone plotting a route to the semi-finals are making a mistake. England could enjoy a fantasy ride to the last four or equally, could get knocked out in the last-16 whether they finish first or second tonight. This will be a good chance for Jamie Vardy - along with Danny Rose and Eric Dier. They will be absolutely desperate to take their chance of a lifetime, start their first ever World Cup match and prove to Southgate they should be starting the next game. The other thing to remember is that Southgate - with his changes - obviously has one eye on the last-16. Because if England do win the group, they will have 24 hours less to prepare for the game. Southgate’s squad will return home to Repino in the early hours of tomorrow morning and will be flying down to Rostov on Sunday afternoon. Also, while the temperature here in Kaliningrad is similar to Repino, the conditions in Rostov will be 32C - much hotter. As a result, Southgate will want players fresh so I understand that. Regardless, I still believe tonight’s game against Belgium could be an interesting match and still believe it is worth watching. And at some stage, I am sure we will see Harry Kane given the chance to further his goals tally and edge nearer to the Golden Boot. By Charlie Wyett
Reuters Belgium manager Roberto Martinez will also rest a host of players
Shearer's views are echoed by Ian Wright, too, who thinks playing for anything except a win is impossible.
Wrighty said: "How do you play a game not trying to win? I’m not interested in what Roberto Martinez wants to do and rest a few.
"We’ve just got to go and win. I don’t like people even talking about it, it’s just negative."
The England boss started the week planning to make just three changes but has decided to switch the line-up further after discovering that Belgium could make even more.
England and Belgium fans have mixed emotions about World Cup match in Kaliningrad
LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS trying vard to win? Vardy to start for England against Belgium as Southgate rings changes OFF SIDE FOOL Corbyn's man in Brussels will be cheering on BELGIUM against England tonight IN IT TO WIN IT Should England try to LOSE to Belgium? That's madness, say Wright & Shearer STANDING TALL World Cup Group H live table and standings RICH DIEGO Why Diego Maradona is being paid £10,000 per game by Fifa at the World Cup LIONS PRIDE England fans show their colours in Russia ahead of crunch clash with Belgium Auf Wiedersehen England fans are loving it as Germany crash out of the World Cup
Roberto Martinez has hinted he could rest up to ten players, with Premier League stars Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne among those definitely out.
Martinez insisted it would be "very risky" and "unprofessional" to start his three players who are one game away from suspension - De Bruyne, Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Meunier.
Yet Southgate has already insisted he is keen to keep the squad happy and give players some game time over the tournament.
England are ahead of Belgium in the group having received one less yellow card. The two nations have the same number of points and conceded and scored the same number of goals.
If England and Belgium do end up with identical records then lots will be drawn to decide who finishes first and second.
The draw would be made at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow at about 9pm tonight.
Media playback is not supported on this device World Cup 2018: 'England can exploit Belgium's defence'
England v Belgium Venue: Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad Date: Thursday, 28 June at 19:00 BST Coverage: Live on BBC Radio 5 live, live text commentary online, mobile, the BBC Sport app and Connected TV. Highlights online at full-time
It's the question on the lips of every England fan - is it better to lose to Belgium on Thursday?
Both Gareth Southgate's side and the Belgians have secured a place in the last 16, with only the winner of the group to be decided in Kaliningrad.
But is there an easier route through the knockout stages on offer to the team who finish second?
Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has already hinted at wholesale changes - with Romelu Lukaku ruled out - while Southgate has pointed out that with no knockout game wins since 2006, it is silly for England to look too far ahead.
Group G as it stands
What if England win?
With victory, England would join Uruguay and Croatia as the only teams to win all three of their group games and, in doing so, set up a last-16 tie against the runner-up in Group H.
Senegal currently occupy that position, but both Japan and Colombia could finish there after their final round of games at 15:00 BST on Thursday.
This half of the draw could see England line up against four of the top seven sides in the world according to the latest Fifa rankings - and the Three Lions have lost to Brazil, Uruguay, Portugal, France and Argentina at major tournaments in the past 20 years. That said, England did beat Argentina in 2002.
According to sports data company Gracenote, Southgate's side have a 24% chance of reaching the last four should they win the group, and a 12% chance of being in the final on 15 July.
Win the group and face this path...
What if England lose?
Southgate said it was "dangerous territory" to try to plot a favourable path, but let's delve into it anyway.
Finishing second in the group with defeat by Belgium - or a draw and a host of yellow cards (more on that below) - may not be so dire an outcome for England.
Going via this route, England could come up against Spain - but they have got past Spain at a major tournament more recently than they have lost to them, and they have no recent tournament defeats by any of the other sides lying in wait, and wins over Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark.
Given this scenario, Gracenote suggests England's chances of reaching the semi-finals would increase to 35% and their hopes of being in the final would go up to 18%.
Or finish second, and face this route...
What if England draw on Thursday?
A draw would leave both sides with the same number of goals scored and goals conceded and obviously no way of deciding who tops the group on their head-to-head record.
The top two positions will then be decided by the number of cards accumulated. England have two yellows and Belgium have picked up three so far.
Could we see a foul in the final few minutes determining the group winner?
If both teams finish with the same number of bookings, then lots will be drawn to decide the final positions.
